We are finally past the stressful days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are quite a few lessons that dealing with property maintenance during that time taught us. Respecting tenants’ health concerns and privacy requests made repairs on income properties challenging, but it left us with new knowledge regarding how to communicate to meet their needs. 

While COVID transmission may no longer be a concern, tenants are not as open to having maintenance performed in their presence as they once were. As a property management company who worked throughout the pandemic, we now know which practices ensure that repairs on a rental property get done as needed, even when tenants are hesitant to let us in.

Best Practices for Balancing Tenant Comfort and Repairs on a Rental Property

The goal of hiring a property management company is to ensure small issues get fixed before they become big problems. When tenants avoid generating repair orders due to the fear of a stranger entering the property, it’s a recipe for all kinds of potential disasters. A dishwasher on the fritz can break down completely instead of being fixed affordably. A cracked window can let rain in to ruin the flooring. A broken pin pad can leave the property vulnerable to intruders – not to mention leave the owner liable in a security lawsuit. 

Whether repairs need to be made on a short-term or long-term rental, they need to be done promptly to protect the property owner’s bottom line. Communication is key when dealing with tenants who are apprehensive about requesting maintenance. At MRMVR, we follow these practices to provide them with peace of mind.

• On all online property listings, we make it known that we still use rigorous CDC-recommended cleaning protocols between tenants. This includes sanitizing and disinfecting all hard surfaces, laundering bedding, and vacuuming carpets. 
• We encourage long-term tenants to submit property maintenance requests as soon as they are needed so we can get to them promptly. We also let them know that if an issue arises, we will make every effort to fix it when they are away from the property. 
• We send text or email notifications regarding the status of maintenance requests, and let them know when we’ll be coming to fix it so they can expect our arrival.
• If an issue comes up during a stay at a vacation property, we respect the tenant’s wishes in regards to whether or not they want to be present during our maintenance call. If an emergency repair is needed, we ask for a good time when they will be out of the unit.
• We wear protective gear and if a tenant requests we wear masks, we oblige. 
• We sanitize everything we touch during maintenance calls, and clean up after the job is done.

How Property Maintenance and Cleanliness Affects A Property’s Reputation 

Both cleanliness and prompt maintenance are key for pleasing long-term and short-term tenants. Long-term renters will stay in the property longer and possibly even renew their lease; and they’ll leave good reviews for future renters when their time is up. Vacation-goers who are happy with their overall experience will leave good reviews on Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental sites. 

Long-story short: Property owners who want to keep an impeccable reputation should hire a property management company who will keep units squeaky clean, communicate with tenants politely, perform high-quality maintenance service, and respect their privacy.

COVID-19 Changed the Vacation Industry. Hire a Property Management Company That Adapted With Those Changes.

In order to be a successful property owner in this day and age, your guests must feel safe and healthy in their rentals. All of us at MRMVR worked throughout the COVID pandemic and know what it takes to address cleanliness concerns while also keeping up with property maintenance.    

There is a lot that goes into managing investment properties. It’s a good idea to hire a partner that has the know-how to help you succeed.