What are the most common maintenance requests in property management?

The most common maintenance requests in property management generally are plumbing and HVAC repairs of all sorts. They range from simple fixes like a dripping faucet to large-scale problems such as a faulty HVAC system.

At first glance, these may seem like inevitable issues that will come up in your property management efforts no matter what. As you or your tenants use assets, they naturally wear down. However, you may be able to do much more than you think to prevent last-minute or emergency calls.

Let’s take a look at what you can do to identify these and other common maintenance requests that end up on your property management maintenance list and how to solve them before they start.

Why are these the most common requests?

The short answer is that these maintenance requests are generally both at the top of the tenant's complaint list and the property’s owner’s responsibility. Older properties may have HVAC systems and plumbing that are near the end of their reasonable lifecycle. On the other hand, newer properties may have tenants who are more particular about their plumbing and HVAC systems.

These systems are also the most tempting to continually patch when problems recur instead of starting a full-scale renovation.

What can you do to stop them before they start?

Short of launching a renovation or series of asset replacements, particularly on older properties, your best bet is to regularly maintain and service your rental properties. Your property maintenance team is one of the most important teams that you can have on your side during this process and should be treated accordingly.

How can you make the process easy for everyone?

Finally, how can you prepare for the most common maintenance requests? Because most of these requests are about HVAC systems or plumbing systems, it’s worth aligning with the people who repair these two home systems. Make sure that your teams are ready to respond quickly. Outlining a repeatable, well-known process for your tenants to send in their requests is also key. That framework will make your lives easier.