How often do you schedule maintenance for your SFH?

Question

I’ve had my first rental leased out for a few months now, and with winter coming, I’m trying to figure out how often I should schedule maintenance.

When I lived there, I did HVAC maintenance (heat pump system) and cleared the gutters every spring and fall. The gutters fill up with leaves in the fall and then pollen in the spring, so both times seemed necessary.

Now that it’s a rental, I’m wondering:

• Should I stick with twice-a-year maintenance (spring and fall)?
• Or would it be fine to just do everything once a year?

I know I could technically have the tenant handle the gutters, but I’d rather keep control of that since it’s important and kind of risky. Plus, this is a great tenant and I want to keep them happy.

Some context:

• My property manager does inspections twice a year and provides air filters.
• The HVAC system is from 2018 (central air/heat pump).
• I’m thinking maybe one visit from a handyman to flush the drain and clean the coils, and one visit from a professional HVAC company for a full checkup.

Curious what others would do in this situation. How do you balance cost, tenant satisfaction, and keeping the systems in good shape?

PS: 1982 home, appraised 300k, C+/B- Working Class family Suburban Neighborhood. Most homes in neighborhood in good condition.

Michael Smythe · Answer

Unless you want to run your property into the ground, keep up the preventive maintenance.

Unfortunately, most investors don't want to pay for this, so ask PMCs to require tenants to do - which most don't (especially Class C & D tenants!).

Then the investors have to pay their PMC more to fix the resulting repair issues:(

Patrick O'Sullivan · Answer

It sounds like you already have a solid approach and are thinking about the right things.

Given the amount of leaves you deal with, I would stick with a spring and fall schedule, especially for the gutters. That is one of those items where skipping a season can save a little money but create much bigger problems down the road. I also agree with keeping that work under the owner's control rather than relying on a tenant.

For the HVAC, with a 2018 heat pump and filters being handled, one professional service per year is usually sufficient unless issues pop up. Pairing that with a lighter handyman visit to flush the drain, check the coils, and look over exterior items seems like a good balance between cost and prevention.

Since your property manager is already doing inspections twice a year, this really just adds another layer of protection rather than duplicating effort. Predictable maintenance costs tend to mean fewer emergency calls and happier tenants over the long run.

If it were my property, I would keep doing what you were doing when you lived there, since it has already proven to work.

Alex Melara · Answer

Hey Andrew, I manage my own property and try and coordinate 4 visits a year with my tenants. I inspect the exterior and also the interior, just check in on the condition and make sure all the systems are up and running accordingly. I also have filter delivery through amazon and I have my HVAC guy go by annually to check out the units. I live in Richmond and my property is in Brandermill so it's only about a 30 min drive, preventative maintenance is the best kind! Happy to share any contacts, handyman etc if you ever need it.

Andrew Chase · Answer

Thanks guys. I'll have my PM schedule maintenance soon.

-A

Marc Winter · Answer

It's good to have a maintenance schedule. Just stick to it. Do not leave it up to a tenant.

True: when the leaves clog the gutters and you have an ice dam form that ruins the interior ceiling, the tenant will NOT be paying for that.

Keep up the schedule for all your regular maintenance. It will cost a few more dollars in prevention, but it will save many, many dollars in cure.

For the record, the tenant should be held responsible for maintenance issues they caused. Our rules are simple: if a toilet clog is due to normal wear and tear, that's on the owner. If we find a toothbrush or other odd item caused the problem, that's on the tenant.

How often do you schedule maintenance for your SFH?

How often do you schedule maintenance for your SFH?

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