It’s time consuming and frustrating to respond to issues like dripping faucets, rotting grout, door seals that aren’t sealed and rust around the water tank. However, those routine home maintenance issues are needed if you want to effectively protect the condition of your Santa Rosa rental property.

Routine maintenance will not only protect your property, it will also keep your emergency repair costs to a minimum and increase your tenant retention. Residents like to live in well-maintained homes.

Pay attention to routine repairs and treat them with the same sense of urgency that you treat those emergencies. If you don’t have the time and the vendor resources to take care of these things in a timely and complete manner, partner with a professional Santa Rosa property management company.

Here are some of the ways that your routine maintenance expenses actually save you money.

Create a Preventative Maintenance Schedule

Setting a seasonal or annual schedule for routine repairs and check-ups is the best way to keep your rental property maintained. If the HVAC system is serviced and inspected once a year, you’ll know it’s unlikely that you’ll receive frantic calls from your tenants that the heat or the air conditioning aren’t working.

When you have that HVAC technician checking on your system once or twice a year, you’re avoiding more costly expenses that can occur when something breaks. You’re also extending the lifespan of your heating system, air conditioning unit, and ventilation. This is a money-saver considering how expensive those systems are to replace and install.

Follow a seasonal schedule if that helps. Enroll in a contract with pest control experts and lawn service providers. Preventative inspections will help you catch potential problems earlier, which saves you money and reduces tenant complaints.

Routine Repairs Lead to Lower Turnover Costs

If your property can remain well-maintained throughout a tenancy, you won’t have to spend a lot of money getting it fixed up after one tenant moves out and you’re preparing for another to move in. The turnover period will not only cost you less in repairs and cleaning, it will also be brief. This means you won’t have long vacancy costs and your rental income will remain fairly consistent.

Stay up to date with all those minor repairs that are needed when a tenant is in place. Taking care of them right away means you won’t have a long list of things to do when you’re preparing the property for the rental market again.

Budgeting for Routine Repairs vs. Emergency Repairs

Routine maintenance is going to cost less, and it’s also kinder to your ability to budget. If you know you’re having an HVAC technician service your system on an annual basis, you can plan for that $300 or $500 cost every year. You can plan for pest control, roofing inspections, landscaping, and other ongoing repairs. You cannot budget very easily for the emergency plumbing disaster, however, or the appliances that cease working. Those will be surprise expenses, and you want to minimize them.

Taking good care of your property will bring you better budgeting and more peace of mind. Make sure your tenants understand that you want to know as soon as possible when a repair is needed. Avoiding deferred and unreported maintenance saves you money and contributes to a better rental experience for everyone.

If you have any questions about maintenance or anything pertaining to Santa Rosa property management, we hope you’ll contact us at Redwood Residential.