Absentee Landlord: How to Handle Repairs and Maintenance

[Lorna Marchand]

Good evening. I've had my primary residence on the market in Albuquerque for almost a year with no luck. The housing market here has improved some since 2008 but not as robustly as in other states. I'm thinking about renting out my home since my husband and I will be retiring in April; we hope to move into our RV and travel. We would prefer not to hire a property manager. I've used them before with other properties and had terrible experience and I know I can market the property myself just as easily. The issue is repairs and maintenance. We may be occasionally unreachable by phone during our travels. I was thinking we could identify a handyman who will be a local contact person and who can respond to tenant calls and assess the need for repairs. Alternatively, I was thinking we could provide the tenants with a list of approved contractors (plumber, electrician, etc.) and let them call as needed. I would worry about tenants abusing this last option though. How have other landlords handled this situation?