Asheville is an excellent place in which to own rental property. Owning property is almost always a wise investment, especially in an area as popular as Asheville and western North Carolina. With so many people moving here, there are plenty of opportunities to reduce vacancies and fill your rental properties with great tenants. One of the downsides to having people lease housing from you is the many ongoing maintenance needs you face. Sometimes, it may seem that all you do is run back-and-forth, making minor and major repairs to your single and multi-family houses. Whether it is for a job outside your expertise or running out of time to do it yourself, you will eventually have to hire someone to make certain repairs.
Whomever you hire, it needs to be someone you can trust. We have developed seven questions to ask any potential repair person before you allow them to work on your rental property.
Ask These Seven Questions of Any Potential Repair Person
1) What are your repair and maintenance strengths?
Many people in the area are handy with a set of tools. Your house is made up of a number of complicated systems, and each maintenance worker is going to have varying expertise. Some may be more knowledgeable about heating and air conditioning systems, while others are more comfortable adjusting and repairing sinks and toilets. You can find people capable of helping you maintain several different systems, but it is a good idea to develop a list of people with varying strengths.
2) What licenses and certifications do you have?
Many of the repair and maintenance jobs are relatively minor. It’s just that you only have enough time to spin so many plates. However, it is helpful to know if your repair workers have licenses in some disciplines.
- Some HVAC work will require a NATE-certified technician.
- Plumbers can have a wide range of licenses from general plumbing to water heaters and utilities.
- It is not a good idea to trust electrical work to anyone who isn’t a licensed electrician.
- Repair and renovation projects above a certain cost require a general contractor who can pull the property permits.
While you may not need a licensed professional for every rental property repair and maintenance project, it is good to get to know a few you can trust. Furthermore, your handyman needs to recognize when they are outside of their expertise or have reached a point on a project where a licensed professional should take over.
3) What is your reputation?
You would probably not even call a repair person who was not at least highly recommended by a friend or someone you trust. Nevertheless, the more information you can find before you send them in to your home(s), the better. Ask for testimonials, Google reviews, and references to make sure they are the right fit.
4) Do you have insurance and worker’s comp?
Sending someone into your rental property without the right insurance and worker’s comp protection is a recipe for disaster. Make sure any repair person has the right insurance before they do any work for you.
5) Do you guarantee your work?
To what extent does a repair person guarantee their work? You do not want to nickel-and-dime someone’s labor, but it is important to know you can count on them to give you the best work possible.
6) Do you provide free estimates?
The answer to this question may not be a dealbreaker. However, regardless of what they say, you might do a little more digging. Is the “no” because the estimate will be especially thorough with a quote, and the cost will serve as a deposit? Is the answer “yes” because the final price will likely be much higher? The cheapest option upfront is not always the best.
7) How well do you communicate?
You do not want to trust your maintenance and repair needs to someone who will be hard to track down when you need them. Furthermore, you don’t want to find yourself stuck with a higher bill than you expected for work that you were never informed they were doing. You need a repair person who will communicate frequently and thoroughly. You want to know when they find something that could be an issue down the road.
Hiring a Property Management Company to Handle Repairs and Maintenance
By the time you make a list and vet potential maintenance and repair workers, it may feel like you should just do the work yourself. However, trusting your project to the wrong person could have disastrous results. One solution that will add little if anything to your overall maintenance costs while giving you back countless hours is hiring a property management company. Professional property management companies typically have extensive knowledge of local repair people. They are into using vendors they have thoroughly vetted and feel they can trust. If you would like to know more about the advantages of hiring a property management company to handle your maintenance and repair needs in western North Carolina, contact Asheville Phoenix Properties.