Simply Residential Maintenance

Owners of investment properties seek out a valued property management partner for many reasons, with maintenance being one of the most common. Maintenance calls from tenants can come at any time of the day and night and typically require some expertise. Some issues are small and easily managed. Others take time and come with costs. Whatever the issue, Simply Residential is happy to take maintenance calls 24/7, 365 days a year. In an ideal world, maintenance issues would be corrected quickly and at minimal cost to our client. But often the reason a project takes longer and costs occur is outside of our control.

Project Time

Simply Residential strives to perform maintenance quickly, efficiently and safely. We’re aware that maintenance can affect liability and a property owner’s ability to maintain a city rental license. Many factors influence the speed maintenance can be completed:

• May-Sept is a busy time for contractors, which may delay specialized work.
•Tenants often want to be home for maintenance visits. Working with a tenant’s busy schedule will slow how quickly we gain property access.
• Retailers like Home Depot often need parts and products shipped from distribution centers, which can mean a delay of 7-10 days.

We do all we can to minimize the turnaround time of maintenance but some delays are beyond our control.

Project Cost

Simply Residential doesn’t relish asking our clients to approve a repair or replacement cost. But maintenance expenditures are often an unpleasant and unavoidable part of doing business in property investment.
appliance lifespanA common cost of doing business is managing home appliances. Like all things, appliances have varying life expectancies that are affected by age, brand, availability of parts and more. Sometimes they break down before they should. Perhaps there is some truth in the saying that, “they don’t make things like they used to.” While there is no definitive guide to accurately predicting an appliance’s lifespan, the graph to the right shows the average life expectancy for various home appliances and equipment. Appliance failure is just part of doing business. We advise clients to set aside 10% of their investment property income to cover maintenance.

Our Approach

It’s important to note that long before any maintenance incident, Simply Residential works to detect problems in advance. We regularly communicate with tenants and encourage reporting of maintenance concerns. We also offer our owners a preventative maintenance service package as a way to get in front of those issues. But we know that not all issues can be predicted nor avoided.
As a valued client, everyone on the Simply Residential team is dedicated to your property. We’re your property’s biggest fans! If your property was a sports team, we’d be purchasing and wearing their jerseys!
So, the next time you hear from our maintenance staff, please be patient and know that we’re working hard to facilitate positive change for your property.

Add These 6 Spring Cleaning Projects to Your Calendar

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Photo credit: Mayr; Flickr.com/photos/mayr

In Minnesota, the month of March is unpredictable. Some years you’re shoveling a foot of fresh, new snow and cursing under your breath. Some years you’re slicing it off the tee on the back nine of your local golf course and cursing under your breath. Some years you’re doing both. No matter what Mother Nature dishes out in March, we know that spring is just around the corner. It’s time to get the house prepared with a handful of outdoor and indoor home maintenance projects. It’s important these projects be completed, as they’ll help save you money down the road. When the warmer weather finally arrives, you’ll fully enjoy it knowing your home is prepared.

Outdoor Projects

  1. Air Conditioner

Have a qualified heating and cooling expert inspect the home’s air conditioning. It may seem like an unneeded expense, but annual check-ups ensure the entire system runs smoothly. There’s no reason for the air conditioner to work harder than it needs to. And you’ll appreciate that the air conditioning is fully functioning when you hit the hot days of summer.

  1. Faucets

Hopefully your winter prep prevented any faucet freeze damage issues but a thorough inspection of outdoor faucets doesn’t hurt. Water should be flowing well from the faucets. And while you’re at it, you might as well find the hose in the shed, inspect it for rotting and hook it up for yard care that’s coming soon.

  1. Gutters

Get out the ladder and check out those gutters. With April showers around the corner, ensure the gutters are clear and flowing properly. The main job of gutters is to drain water away from the home, not into your basement or foundation. Help the gutters do their job. It’s all they ask.

Indoor Projects

  1. Hit the Laundry Room

It’s a good time to take a look at the washer and dryer. The washer hoses should be inspected for leaks. Cracks in the hose are a warning sign. The dryer vent should be cleaned of all debris not caught by the lint trap. This maintenance will help your dryer run less and you’ll be removing a serious fire hazard.

  1. Repair and Clean Window Screens

In Minnesota, we relish opening our windows to let in a cool breeze. Spring is the time to clean screens by giving them a good soapy scrub. It’s not the most fun you’ll have but you’ll appreciate the clean air flowing into your home when summer rolls around. For damaged screens, you can patch holes or replace entire screens.

  1. Vacuum Refrigerator Coils

The more dust that covers the coils behind the refrigerator, the harder that appliance needs to work to keep cool. This is the easiest spring job you’ll have. Simply run a vacuum hose through the area to keep it clean. It will save you energy costs and prolong the life of your refrigerator.

Being a homeowner provides many advantages, but it also brings with it the responsibility of maintenance. Preventative maintenance is less expensive than dealing with a problem after it has occurred. And it will give you peace of mind. Take these six maintenance steps annually each spring and your home will thank you. The health of your home depends on it.