Tenants will have times when there are maintenance emergencies. Landlords often try to get to these repairs and requests quickly, but there are certain laws pertaining to maintenance emergencies. What does qualify as a maintenance emergency? There are some emergencies that do require immediate response, such as a gas leak or electrical emergency. Here are some tips from Keyrenter Property Management South Florida on how to handle tenant emergencies.
Gas Emergencies
A gas leak is a serious emergency that needs to be addressed right away. Leaking gas can lead to health risks, fires, and more. Not all tenants know the danger of gas, so it is important to have working gas leak detectors in the rental unit to help prevent placing them at-risk. In most situations, gas leaks are easy to fix, as it is often a faulty pilot light or problems with a loose connection. However, you want to hire a professional to work with issues related to gas.
Electrical Emergencies
While gas is dangerous, electrical issues are also right at the top of the list. Electrical emergencies can lead to fires, but they can also cause issues with heating and cooling the home. If the power is out, check with the power company to check for outages in the area as tenants do not always do that. Head over to the rental property and check for signs of a tripped breaker. If you do not have electrical training and skills, hire a professional to come out to the property right away and find out what is happening.
Water Emergencies
Water is one of the hardest issues to deal with as it can cause several problems from rotten wood to mold growth and other water damage. If the tenant calls in about a leaking pipe, overflowing toilet, or other water issues, you need to hurry and treat the issue right away. Water can start pouring through ceilings and causes damage to multiple units. Water leaking throughout the unit can cause people to be out of their homes for weeks. It pays to hire a plumber to get over to the property right away and find out what is happening and fix the problem.
Landlords have a lot of responsibility when it comes to managing their property. When you get a phone call about a water leak, you may find that the reason for the leak is because the tenant left the bathtub running, causing it to overflow. It is important to focus on determining what you deem as a serious emergency and having it repaired within 24-hours. Smaller emergencies like a broken washing machine doesn’t put anyone’s health at-risk, and can normally be repaired in a timely manner, but doesn’t need to be a middle-of-the-night emergency. Consider working with a property management company to assist with your maintenance and tenant needs.
Keyrenter provides residential property management services to landlords of single family homes, duplexes, condos, and small multifamily units. We are not large apartment managers. Our purpose is to help landlords maximize the return on their investment property while eliminating the stressors associated with being a landlord (including bad tenants and maintenance issues). Services we offer include: property analysis, setting rent, tenant placement, leasing services, maintenance coordination, tenant relations, property inspections, rent collection. We offer superior customer service. Because we know how to find quality tenants that can meet the terms of their lease agreement, using Keyrenter’s 14-point tenant screening process, our eviction rate is below 1%.