How do you perform maintenance from out of state?

Question

Hi everyone,

I currently self manage my rentals. The management portion is not that bad but finding maintenance is very challenging. I have used property managers in the past and their maintenance people cost a lot.

Finding local maintenance personnel has been very challenging.

What have you done to find reliable maintenance that is not very expensive?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have.

BJ Everson · Answer

Chris, the replies on finding people are good. Since you mentioned PM maintenance costs, a disclosure: I'm a Realtor with Swiss Realty Group and assist at Swiss Property Management Group in Columbus. If you ever go back to a manager, a few questions explain most of the cost difference:

• Do they add a markup or coordination fee on vendor invoices, and how much?
• Can you use your own vendors, and what insurance do they require from them?
• What dollar amount can they approve without calling you?
• Do they send before and after photos with every invoice? If you keep self-managing, a short price list from each vendor for common jobs (service call, drain clearing, faucet, furnace tune-up) makes a high invoice easy to spot. Where are your rentals?

Do they add a markup or coordination fee on vendor invoices, and how much?

Can you use your own vendors, and what insurance do they require from them?

What dollar amount can they approve without calling you?

Do they send before and after photos with every invoice? If you keep self-managing, a short price list from each vendor for common jobs (service call, drain clearing, faucet, furnace tune-up) makes a high invoice easy to spot. Where are your rentals?

Leo Stein · Answer

I've had better luck treating the vendor search like building a small bench before an emergency, rather than shopping each work order. I ask local landlords, agents, and the neighborhood hardware store for names, then try one small paid job and see whether they return calls, keep the appointment, explain options, and send a clear invoice. I don't assume the cheapest quote stays cheapest once a second trip or tenant disruption is counted. For each trade I keep a primary and backup, a written scope, photos before and after, and a not-to-exceed amount for routine items. I also ask the tenant for photos first, so we can describe the issue accurately and avoid dispatching someone for a reset or clogged filter. A simple log of vendor, task, cost, response time, and warranty makes next time easier. Once someone has earned trust, paying promptly and giving complete access details helps keep the relationship. Happy to compare notes by message.

James Jones · Answer

I keep it simple, and I start before there is a problem. On my Memphis rehabs I fix the roof, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical first, so most of the maintenance calls that eat a budget never happen. Then I use one local handyman for the small stuff and a licensed trade for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC, picked before I need them. Every job goes in writing, with a photo from the tenant first, and a photo after the work is done. No one gets paid on a phone call alone. The rent has to cover it. I buy under $100K, ARV $180K to $265K, Section 8 rent $1,395 to $1,950 for 3 bedrooms or more, and I check the 1% rule and DSCR at 70 to 80% LTV. If the rent does not leave room for a handyman and a trade call, the deal does not work.

Jimmy Lieu · Answer

Hi Chris, the others covered where to find people, so here are a few things that cut the cost once you have them. Ask tenants to send a photo or short video before you dispatch anyone. A lot of "the sink is broken" calls turn out to be a clog, a tripped breaker or a dirty filter, and you save a trip fee. Put the small tenant-fixable stuff in the lease (bulbs, filters, batteries, disposal reset) so it never becomes a paid call.

For the vendors you do use, ask for a flat rate on common jobs instead of hourly, and bundle non-urgent repairs into one visit. Preventive work pays too: a yearly filter, gutter and water heater check is far cheaper than an emergency call at the wrong hour.

Keep a backup for each trade so one busy handyman never leaves a tenant waiting. Happy to connect and compare notes.

Divin Kanyama · Answer

@Chris Nordstrom You're not alone, this is the hardest part of self-managing. What's worked for me:

Ask around. Staff at local supply houses, other landlords and your real estate agent know who's reliable. Local landlord groups are great for referrals too.

Test new people on a small job first. See if they show up on time, communicate well and clean up. Once you find a good one, pay promptly and send steady work. They'll usually prioritize you and give a better rate.

Batch non-urgent repairs into one visit, and learn the easy fixes yourself (flappers, faucets, disposals). Use licensed, insured pros for electrical, major plumbing and HVAC.

Keep a backup for each trade so you're never stuck. Good luck!

Ming Yi · Answer

The management part is the easy half from out of state. The hard half is having someone local you trust before anything breaks. I build that bench in advance: a handyman, a plumber, an electrician, and an HVAC tech, each with a backup. The best way I have found them is through other local landlords and small contractors who already work on rentals, not the big dispatch companies. I test each one with a small paid job first and I ask for photos before and after, plus an itemized invoice. Once someone proves reliable, I keep their rates and response times in one list so I am not starting from zero at 9 pm on a Friday. I also give tenants a clear written process for what counts as urgent and what can wait until morning, so the call I get is the one that actually needs a fast response.

Harrison C. · Answer

Hi Chris, what helped most from a distance was splitting it in two instead of looking for one person who does everything.

• A handyman for the small stuff. Ask the counter at the local hardware store (the smaller one, not the big chain) who comes in every morning buying parts. Those are the working handymen. Other landlords in that town's landlord group are the next best source.
• Licensed trades for plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling, picked before you need them. Give each one a small paid job first, like a faucet, a filter change or a smoke detector swap, and watch how they show up, answer and invoice.
• Make your jobs easy to say yes to. Send each one in writing with the tenant's photos, the address, how to get in, and an amount they can go up to without calling you. Then pay the day the invoice arrives. A remote owner who sends clear jobs and pays fast moves up a contractor's list.
• Let the tenant be your eyes. A photo or a short video before you book anyone saves a lot of trip charges, and a fair share of the time it turns out to be a breaker, a reset or a filter.
• Give vendors a way in that doesn't need you or a key handoff, like a lockbox or a code for that visit.

A handyman for the small stuff. Ask the counter at the local hardware store (the smaller one, not the big chain) who comes in every morning buying parts. Those are the working handymen. Other landlords in that town's landlord group are the next best source.

Licensed trades for plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling, picked before you need them. Give each one a small paid job first, like a faucet, a filter change or a smoke detector swap, and watch how they show up, answer and invoice.

Make your jobs easy to say yes to. Send each one in writing with the tenant's photos, the address, how to get in, and an amount they can go up to without calling you. Then pay the day the invoice arrives. A remote owner who sends clear jobs and pays fast moves up a contractor's list.

Let the tenant be your eyes. A photo or a short video before you book anyone saves a lot of trip charges, and a fair share of the time it turns out to be a breaker, a reset or a filter.

Give vendors a way in that doesn't need you or a key handoff, like a lockbox or a code for that visit.

Cheap and reliable usually comes from being a good customer to one or two people, not from shopping every job.

How do you perform maintenance from out of state?

7 Replies