No one likes to hear about needed maintenance on the property because this usually means spending money. But there are times when choosing to make the appropriate expenditure means future dollars are saved and tenants choose to stay longer. Who wouldn’t want to save money and increase the value of their investment?
It is often minor expenditures that save the most money, such as new doorstops, replacing filters, checking appliances, testing smoke detectors, adjusting doors, window latches, dead- bolts, and more (see Chapter 5). Many of these items can pre- vent more expensive maintenance such as holes behind doors, clogged heaters and air conditioners, large appliance problems, dry rot, safety issues, and more. Of course, there are major items in a home such as the roof, the exterior condition of the build- ing, carpeting, interior and exterior paint, and so on. When left to deteriorate, it almost always means you will have to spend more in the future.
You need to be familiar with your property and have a plan in place. By conducting routine inspections of the interior and exterior of your property, you will not have as many emergency problems. I often advise owners to plan their walk-through just prior to the expiration of the first year’s lease. When you notify your tenants you will be coming out to do your property survey,
let them know you are planning to come inside. If they are unable to be there and there are problems or anything they want you to see, ask them to
leave a detailed note inside the property in an obvious place.
During your inspection, check basic items such as smoke detectors; caulking around the tub, toilet and sink; the overall condition of the property; fire extin- guishers; and so on. Walk
completely around the property looking for broken windows or anything that stands out, as well as any yard work or tree trim- ming necessary. You should plan to change the heater and air conditioning filters while you are there. Pay attention to details while you are there. You should identify and correct all safety issues, which may present potential liability.
You should have a simple file for each property where you keep a log of items you have checked and the things you do each time you are at there. Record the date, including the year, and the time. Don’t rely on your memory. For larger properties, take the time to check all your common areas, the exterior lights, walkways, and laundry rooms. Make sure the common areas are free of cobwebs and debris. You can take care of most of these items yourself.
Use a detailed property survey checklist and take the time to complete it in its entirety (see Appendix 4 for a sample). Take it with you each time you review the needs of your property before a tenant moves in and at the annual property inspection.
The following is a list of maintenance tips that may help you protect your investment in your building and at the same time avoid possible problems with code violations and resident complaints.
“
It is equally important to keep up with the same maintenance after the tenant occupies the property. No news is not always good news. Take a proactive approach to the maintenance and upkeep.”
—Jean S., investorRegularly check smoke detectors
Inoperable or improperly installed smoke detectors are a com- monly found code violation. Smoke detectors are one of the most important life safety devices in your property. If you have an older property with battery-operated smoke detectors, these batteries need to be checked periodically by the tenant.
Every smoke detector includes instructions for use and dia- grams to help you install them in the proper locations. If you have questions concerning the location of your smoke detec- tors, call your local housing inspector or contact your neigh- borhood fire station. Batteries are tested by pushing the test button on the detector. To find out if the smoke detector actu- ally works, I recommend using one of the commercially available aerosol smoke detector-testing products.
Check for non-grounded electrical outlets
Older buildings built prior to the mid-1960s don’t have fully grounded electrical systems. These buildings typically have older receptacle outlets with only two openings for plug attachments.
Many modern appliances, electronics, and computers are equipped with grounded plugs. Tenants and property owners commonly replace older receptacles with newer u-ground type receptacles. This is a code violation and it is potentially danger- ous to use a grounded receptacle on an ungrounded system.
You can use u-ground receptacles on your property if you either ground the outlet or provide GFI (ground fault inter- rupter) protection to the outlet. If you do not have ungrounded
Bright Idea
Fire officials recommend that batteries be checked twice a year when clocks are changed for daylight savings time (April and October). Encourage tenants to check batteries and report any problems to you or your management as soon as possible.
outlets, repairing them is not a “handyman” repair; consult a licensed electrician. If you choose either one of these two meth- ods for correcting your outlets, you may need to get an electri- cal permit and final inspection approval. Check with your city or county for more information.
Keep chimneys clean
Fires generally result from lack of cleaning or ventilation. This happens several ways. The most common is a blocked flue, which may be from debris falling into the chimney due to dete- riorating material, or may even be a bird’s nest blocking the ven- tilation. Fires often erupt from ignition of creosote accumulated on the walls of an unclean chimney.
Preventive maintenance is the key to maintaining a safe chim- ney. Here are some safety tips recommended by the Chimney Safety Institute of America: www.csia.org.
■ Schedule annual inspections for all chimneys and use a qualified, certified chimney professional. This person should be able to not only clean the chimney and vents, but also inspect them for deterioration or weakness.
■ Provide and install working carbon monoxide detectors in the property.
■ Install a chimney cap if one is missing.
■ Provide and install working smoke detectors.
■ Have the chimney waterproofed.
■ Have the chimney flashing inspected and maintained to prevent leakage.
■ Following any violent events such as earthquake, flood, or lightning strike, have the chimney inspected for damage inside and out.
Peace of mind, reduced liability, and the safety of tenants are worth the expense to maintain a chimney.
Check the condition of balconies, stairways, decks, handrails, and guardrails
You have heard the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It applies today, especially to balconies, decks, and stairways. These parts of your property are usually more exposed to weathering and water damage. Over time, water seeps into and under surface coverings and causes rot and dete- rioration to wood structural members. This process can be accelerated in some properties due to older construction meth- ods that fail to divert moisture or hide moisture and damage behind stucco or siding.
Watch out for mold and mildew
Mold can be a serious problem, especially during the winter months. Exposure to mold can cause health risks for infants and children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with aller- gies, asthma, and damaged immune systems. If your building has areas of mold growth, have an environmental inspection done to determine what type of mold is present and if it is sur- face or evasive. Make an appointment with a professional con- tractor who can determine where the moisture is coming from and how the problem can be corrected. Check your local phone directory for environmental inspectors and for contractors that provide such services. Code enforcement will expect property owners to locate and correct any sources of water or moisture infiltration in affected units. Replacement of damp or damaged materials is also required. Additional information on mold is available from your county health department. Some states are now requiring a mold disclosure be given to each new occupant (see Appendix 4).
Check your insurance policy to determine whether you are covered for mold damage. Don’t put off fixing those pinhole water leaks. Mold only needs a day to start growing, and the resulting cleanup can be very expensive.
Tenants can help prevent mold in their units by taking the following steps:
■ Keep the unit clean and dry.
■ Use the exhaust fan or open the bathroom window after showering.
■ Wipe down damp surfaces after showering.
■ Wash bathrooms with mold-killing or mold-prevention cleaning products at least once a month.
■ Use the kitchen exhaust fan to remove water vapor when cooking.
■ Discard spoiled foods immediately.
■ Empty garbage daily.
■ Empty water pans below self-defrosting refrigerators frequently.
■ Remove moldy stored items.
Remove trash, litter, debris, and inoperable vehicles
If your garbage bin is filled above the rim, the bin lid will not close securely. This can lead to rodents, flies, unpleasant odors, and trash falling or blowing out of the bin. Not only is this unhealthy, it also gives your property poor curb appeal for prospective tenants. If your bin is overfull two or more times every month, you have inadequate garbage service. Call your local garbage company.
Various collection options and price ranges are available to meet your needs. If your garbage bin is overflowing because a
Bright Idea
Experts say that the best way to combat graffiti vandalism on your building is to paint over the graffiti “tags” as soon as possible. Taggers eventually get frustrated and find some other place to vandalize. And in some areas, it’s a code violation to allow graffiti to remain on your property.
tenant or unknown persons disposed of furniture, mattresses, or other large items in the bin, you can call your local company and ask for their bulk pick-up service. If this is not a multi-family residence, ask your garbage company for a brochure to provide your tenant with the appropriate procedures for bulk item pick- up or for obtaining additional bins. This should be your tenant’s expense, not yours.
The general exterior picture that your building presents to the neighborhood is very important. An unsightly building can be a message to criminals, drug dealers, and other unautho- rized persons that no one pays attention to what is going on.
Trash, litter, and debris on your premises can be an invitation to criminal activity, graffiti, and illegal dumping. Inoperable vehi- cles use limited parking spaces and may create a nuisance, as well as provide places to conceal drugs. Excess storage on bal- conies is unsightly and can contribute to infestations of insects and rodents, and often promotes moisture damage to the sup- porting balcony structure. All of these items are also violations of many cities’ blight ordinances and can result in the issuance of administrative citations and possible fines if not promptly corrected.
I like people to be able to drive by my property and not be able to recognize it as a rental unit. Pride of ownership ensures that tenants care about how they maintain their home.
Maintain a good relationship with your tenants
At this point you must be asking, “What is this item doing in a list of maintenance items?” Well, your tenants are at your property
Moneysaver
Some cities have programs designed to help rental property and apartment building owners who are victims of graffiti vandalism. Free paint and other materials to cover or remove graffiti are sometimes made available through the program. To access this free service, call your local authorities.
all the time. They are the first to know about that leak in the bathroom that could lead to serious water damage, and probably know about those tenants next door who may be dealing drugs.
A little work to keep up good channels of communication with your tenants can pay you big dividends. If your tenants feel comfortable informing you about maintenance problems and other issues, they can become active partners in the process of keeping your buildings safe, pleasant places to live.