Programmed Maintenance

Funny how property owners can regard a phone call from their property manager as being a bad omen – something must be wrong!  Why else would you be calling me?  We find on the other end of the phone that it is great to be the bearers of good news rather than just a reason to spend your money. 

One way to get around those dire phone calls is to proactively look at your property, whether at routine inspection time or while conducting exit and entry inspections, and determine what are the maintenance requirements over the next 2-5 year period.  If we can programme some maintenance in a specific time frame, then you as the property owner can budget and plan for it and we, as your property managers, can arrange the timing to fall either between tenancies or at times that will have least impact for the ongoing tenants.

There are certain maintenance time spans that you can use as a rule of thumb.  Your exterior paintwork will last 10-15 years.  With a little extra preservation, perhaps a housewash every second year, we can eke that time period out a bit longer.  Your hot water service has a life expectancy of about 8 years.  At routine inspections we might report that there is some rusting around the base – this might be an indicator that we are getting closer to the ‘emergency’ callout.  The decking boards on your verandahs/pool deck will last so much longer if we programme regular treatments and keep the life in the natural timbers.  Carpets have a life of 7-10 years.  Regular professional carpet cleaning will enhance its life as well.  Once it gets to the sad and wrinkly stage, your current tenants won’t look after it that well and it certainly will not attract new tenants.  At that point you can either replace or pull out and polish floorboards.  This can add dollars to your rental.

Owning an investment property is not just about collecting the rent to pay off the mortgage.  You need to look at preserving and upgrading the value in your property.  We will not be able to increase the rents on a regular basis if the property does not keep providing good value for money.  Clean fresh stylish appeal need not be expensive and is often best when quite simple but streamlined.

Programmed maintenance is a project that we can assist with if we understand your investment profile.  If this is a long term investment, you will have different parameters to someone who is biding their time while the sales market has gone off the boil.  By the same token, if you want to be able to relist quickly as the market improves, a well-maintained property will present so much better to both another investor or home buyer.  Even if your plan is to knock down and rebuild in a certain time frame, discussing your plans with us will enable us to find the best maintenance solutions for you.  Some things still need doing but we can use recycled materials or seconds appliances that will eke out the time period and still provide a safe habitable environment.

As property owner you have certain responsibilities, legally outlined in the Residential Tenancy legislation.  Programmed maintenance can actually reduce your costs by taking the emergency element out. 

Article by:  Jan Grant, Property Minders Asset Management

Want your property professionally managed?  askus@propertyminders.com.au

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