Property maintenance question

[Logan Guerrero]

Obviously during the renovation process we tend to focus on functionality and cosmetic features. Looking at maintenance through the lens of a property manager what do you do when it comes to faulty windows, roof, and other exterior problems? 

[Phillip Bradrick]

@Logan Guerrero great question. Maintenance is key to maintaining long term tenants in the property and avoiding unnecessary turnover. I’m an investor and property manager and what we see is that ongoing maintenance items that bother the tenant or that will do damage to the home need to be proactively addressed. Larger capex investments like new roof or windows can be scheduled based on your cash flow position but need to be addressed rather than just pushed off. We see on average 5-7% of monthly rents going back into general repairs and about the same to capex depending on the property condition. I hope this helps as you think things through.

[Michael Smythe]

@Logan Guerrero one of the challenges with maintenance is owners not having funds.

So, we've learned to prioritize maintenance issues:

1) Health & safety issues

2) City & S8 inspection issues

3) Property preservation

4) Direct marketing issues (purple walls)

5) Miscellaneous

[Andrew Syrios]

It depends on how serious it is. For example, if there's a flashing issue on the roof that will certainly leak, then I replace it. On the other hand, if the roof is just old, I'll probably ride it out for a while until it needs to be replaced. It's tough to give a straightforward answer to such a broad question.