How do you set up to charge service/maintenance fees

[Shawnda Beckstedt]

We have been investing in buy/hold properties for about a year now, currently we are the owners, managers and maintenance crew while both working full time jobs, time is precious and I am trying to stream line our polices/procedures for maintenance issues. I'm looking for suggestions/examples from others on how you structure your maintenance fees, some calls are legit...others, we get called to come out and literally plunge a toilet that was stopped up with disposable wipes.  How do you state your fees up front and what are those fees? My initial thought is to charge a $35 service call plus repair costs IF the damage was a direct result from the tenant. I don't want to create service fees that are too high and discourage a tenant from calling us regarding a legit issue but I want to weed out the unnecessary things that tenants need to try and resolve on their own first before just calling in like we are an all expense paid hotel service. Thank you for any insight! 

[Deanna McCormick]

I would say your fee cost is in right range, I would also put that if you are kept from access to apartment for service a fee of 75.00 will be charge for blocking entry, so if you have a notice out you will be doing routine work or inspection and they haven't called to reschedule you given them a bill because you were denied entry and have to come back, it happens and it's a complete waste of time.. 

We actually gave each tenant a plunger bought in bulk and for $2.50 an apartment it was well worth the cost. Put in notice that no wipes, ect are to be put in toilet and no GREASE is to be put in kitchen drains, that was our most frequent call.. Lock outs are 75.00 per call after midnight jumps to 150.00.