Being an owner of a rental property is one thing.
Being a responsible landlord is another.
The latter is endowed with various obligations in managing the rental property.
Primarily, you have to provide the tenants the best living conditions.
Guaranteed proper maintenance can be one big issue between you and your tenants.
Should you encounter maintenance complaints from your tenants, knowing how to handle such problem will be your best weapon.
First of all, make sure that you provide your tenants enough transparency regarding the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.
The contract must have distinct, objective and flexible details about the scope of your maintenance duties.
You should also let your tenants know of their corresponding responsibilities in taking care of the unit they are renting.
The tenants should also know if you have hired a property management company.
Explain to them the services the property manager or personnel can only render.
So in case they have complaints, they would know the specific person to address.
The details of the complaint filing and deliberation process must also be discussed.
Furnish them copies of the maintenance complaint form and clarify how these should be filled out and submitted.
The form should enable details such as nature of complaint, filing date and recommended actions to be expounded.
Establish a reasonable amount of time for you to deliberate the validity of the complaint and to implement proper response.
A contingency period must also be set up.
This would be helpful in case you are physically or financially unavailable when the damages would occur.
Moreover, it is also your task to always update your tenants.
Tell them that you received their request and ask for their patience as you are trying your best to address the issue as soon as possible.
On the other hand, always bending backwards to accommodate your tenants' complaints is not advisable as well.
You must also protect yourself against abusive or irrational tenants.
One thing you can do for your safety is to have a systematized tracker for all the maintenance work you have done for the rental property.
List of materials bought for the repairs, itemized report of action taken in case of complaint and receipts are only a few of supporting documents you have to keep track of.
Also, always make backup copies.
These can guard you against unjustifiable complaints.
For your convenience, use a software program for accounting and maintenance monitoring.
There are some downloadable programs for free or with minimal fees available through various sites catering to property management needs.
Meanwhile, note that although your tenants can express their complaints through the property manager or personnel, you still have the last say whether the repairs must be implemented.
Remember that the property management company is also under your employment.
Thus, it is vital that both parties have open and consistent communication so as problems can be addressed right away.
Lastly, sustain an emergency funds account which should be solely used for maintenance issues.
If you choose to hire property management services, look for a company that accommodates a trust account.
Although such feature equates higher fees, it would work for your benefit eventually.
By prioritizing your maintenance tasks, you would be regarded as a highly efficient landlord and at the same time you are initiating a smooth relationship with your tenants.
Thus, your rental venture can be more profitable.