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Tags: online property management software, property management solution, Property Manager, real estate, Rental Software

Point2 Property Manager RssFiled Under: Point2 Property Manager

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Tags: online property management software, property management solution, Property Manager, real estate, Rental Software

Landlords Are You The “Repair Man” For Tenants In Your Rental Properties?Filed Under: Property Management Software Questions

As a former landlord myself I understand the headaches that sometimes come with different rental properties. Not only do you have to deal with difficult tenants, who may not pay their rent on time or may not pay at all, but you sometimes have to deal with repairs. Doesn’t it seem like as soon as you fix one thing in one rental property, something else breaks, cracks or leaks in another? Ok landlords, how long do you want to keep getting up in the middle of the night to handle repairs? How long do you want to keep skipping dinner, or missing your children’s afterschool activities to handle rental property repairs? It’s time to stop being the “Repair Man” and hire a Repair Contractor for your rental properties.

You care about your business very much, so why not hire a professional to the job? You want to look for someone trustworthy, who you can use time and time again. Yes money is a big factor when choosing someone to work for you. However, have you ever heard the saying, “You get what you pay for”? Well, you don’t want to hire someone really cheap or really expensive either. Therefore, you should do some research to see what the going rate is for a general repair man/contractor or you can research a more specific kind of contractor depending on what your needs are.

How do you go about selecting a Repair Contractor?

Here is the Top 15 Things You Can Do To Pick A “Good” Repair Person for your rental properties. These are not in any particular order.

1. Ask your friends, other landlords, property managers or family members if they can give you some recommendations.
2. If you’re looking on your own, talk to at least 3 contractors and get cost estimates.
3. For everyone you speak with, ask how long have they been in business.
4. Depending on the type of work you need performed, ask for a 3-day right to cancel (this is the law in many states).
5. Make sure you ask for a detailed written proposal (get all verbal communication in writing).
6. Before signing a contract, make sure you understand it completely, ask questions.
7. Before doing business with any contractor, ask for and check their references.
8. While researching, always check to see if the business is listed with the Better Business Bureau.
9. Check to see if the person or business has injury insurance just in case an accident happens.
10. Before you let the contractor begin work on your rental property, ask to see examples of their work so you can inspect the quality.
11. Keep your ears open — Ask the contractor specific questions about the repair that you need done and listen to the answers they give you. This should tell you if the person knows what they are talking about.
12. If you’ve found an individual to do the job and they’re not through a business, make sure they are licensed, ask to see it.
13. Before doing business with the person or business, check to see if they are certified and bonded. Here’s how to check, ask for a copy of their certificate and call the bonding company. This is just in case something goes wrong and you need to sue.
14. Make sure all work performed is backed up with warranties and guarantees.
15. Ask the person or company if they have 3rd Party Property Insurance; to protect your property in the event it somehow gets damaged.

You see it’s not really difficult to hire a good repair person for your rental properties. You just have to do your homework, ask the right questions and make a selection. Trust me these 15 things will definitely help you to not make a mistake when choosing the right person for the job. Performing these small steps above will ultimately lead you to a bigger goal, which is to NOT be the “Repair Man” for your rental properties!

Bonus Tip – For a good way to manage your rental properties, tenants and several repair people (maintenance work) from anywhere, check out

Point2 Property Manager’s Tenant Maintenance

Tags: contractor, landlord, online property management software, rental propery, repairs