By Lawrence Kirk

One of the biggest tasks that a manager will take on is property maintenance. Your manager should keep your investment both functional and attractive, while keeping in mind a balanced budget. When hiring a new manager, remember to address a few important key issues.

There are a number of ways managers keeps your investment both functional and attractive; all of which results in an added benefit to the home owner as well as the tenant. A good manager should have a preventive maintenance plan in place. This will be a list of scheduled items to be checked or tasks to be preformed. This list will include tasks such as reminding the tenants to perform monthly duties, such as replacing A/C filters and checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for proper function, to actually inspecting your investment both inside and out for both ascetic and proper function, as well as keeping an eye out for anything that may become an issue as time passes. Your manager should inform you of the results of these inspections. Occasionally, things do go wrong without any warning. Proper notification of these home inspections can significantly reduce the surprise factor when things do go wrong.

From time to time there may be a need for corrective maintenance. When this time comes, who else is better suited for handling your home repairs than the ones who not only have firsthand knowledge of your home, but who also have both experience in handling these issues, and a list of experience trades to call on? The property manager has the time to solve problems efficiently by getting multiple quotes to ensure the best price, inspecting work preformed, and dealing with any unexpected issues that may arise with the tenants or trades. This will result in both swift and reliable correction for any maintenance problems, leaving the tenant happy and giving the homeowner peace of mind that the situation was handled in a timely manner and completed in the most cost effective way.

When deciding whether or not to hire a property manager, it is wise to sit down and discuss their plan of action regarding both preventative and corrective maintenance procedures. This will ensure that both the owner and the property manager are on the same page, and that ultimately, your investment is safe and secure, is being run professionally and proficiently. Which will ultimately give you the home owner peace of mind.