The Importance of Preventative Maintenance for Appliances in Your Property Management
As a property manager, your hands are often full. You are in charge of advertising rental properties, finding and screening new tenants, preparing vacant units, handling complaints, property maintenance and more.
Additionally, when handling various properties at once, problems can arise simultaneously, especially when it comes to household equipment. Imagine a dishwasher leaking at one rental unit while a fridge is not working in another. How would you juggle those emergency repairs?
Why Preventative Maintenance?
Due to frequent use, appliances tend to break, especially if they are not properly maintained. Thus, preventative maintenance is essential for you to keep your peace of mind and help you avoid unexpected costs and liabilities. Keeping your properties livable will prevent tenants from suing you, and you could lose more than what you would have spent on repairs.
Reduces Costs
Preventive maintenance makes your job as a property manager easier. If you don’t invest time and money in regular maintenance, you will end up going over your budget due to massive appliance repairs. Not to mention the money you will lose because your rental unit not being able to be occupied during those needed repairs.
Boost Customer Satisfaction
Optimizing equipment performance leads to not only cost savings and increased revenue but also higher customer satisfaction. You will also attract new clients, both property owners and tenants. As preventive maintenance implies good care, property owners will trust you with their property. Tenants will value the reduction in potential problems associated with living or working in a well-maintained property.
Reduce Unplanned Downtime
Every day your rental unit is vacant, you lose money. Therefore, most of the maintenance is scheduled when occupancy is low and structured in a way that takes the least amount of time. However, regular maintenance downtime can be significantly reduced by implementing a preventive appliance maintenance plan. Otherwise, your downtime can be seriously extended by waiting for a specialized repair team or shipment of needed parts. Furthermore, preventative maintenance can be scheduled at your most convenient time, avoiding disruptions that can cost you time and money.
Promotes Health And Safety
An injured tenant due to an appliance malfunction is probably the worst-case scenario you can think of as a property manager. The health and legal consequences are something that can drag down your business reputation as well as your finances. Preventive maintenance improves the health and safety of your property if it is tracked and performed correctly by a knowledgeable technician team.
Lengthen Appliance Lifespan
The most important benefit of preventative maintenance is to lengthen the lifespan of your rental appliances. Keeping your equipment in good condition allows it to run longer, lowering costs. Replacing or repairing appliances that have not been kept up to day with proper maintenance results in economic losses to your business.
Lower Risk Of Breakdowns
Reducing the risk of appliances breaking down is another main benefit of preventive maintenance. In fact, most preventative appliance maintenance benefits result from lowered risk of breakdown. If you wait until severe failure occurs to perform maintenance, you are putting your business and reputation at risk.
Preventative Appliance Maintenance
Major appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, washers and dryers are costly to repair and even more expensive to replace. However, by performing preventative maintenance, you can substantially cut your cost. Some of the most common preventive care by appliance are:
Dishwasher Maintenance
- Inspect electrical system
- Testing controls
- Checking spray arms
- Checking the water inlet valve
- Examine unit for mineral build-up
- Inspecting water line for leaks
- Testing the water distribution system
- Testing drain pump operations
- Checking roller devices
- Testing washer motor
- Checking dispenser
- Checking soft food emulsifier
- Inspecting door gasket for proper seal
- Inspect
Washing Machine Maintenance
- Checking the hoses
- Ceaning/replacing the filters
- Checking the level to reduce vibration and noise
- Examine the door seal
- Cleaning the drain
- Checking the water pressure
- Inspecting the water inlet valve
- Inspecting any unusual noise
Refrigerator Maintenance
- Checking the water filter
- Cleaning condenser coils
- Checking water lines on and to the unit for leaks
- Testing the water dispenser for proper water flow rate
- Inspecting door gasket on fresh food and freezer doors
- Levelling the unit to the appropriate pitch
- Checking the drain line for debris
- Testing defrost cycle operations
- Testing thermostats and air dampers
- Inspecting ice maker
Range/ Oven Maintenance
- Examine door gasket
- Checking the temperature for accuracy
- Inspecting wiring and cord connection
- Testing gas pressure in water columns
- Checking ignition system
- Inspecting cooktop burners
- Inspect self-lock mechanism
- Checking the gas unit for leaks
- Check thermocouples on gas units
- Levelling the unit if necessary
- Adjusting the clock or timer if needed
- Testing electronic controls
Ensure Preventative Appliance Maintenance Is In Expert Hands
As a property manager handling various estates at once, you juggle multiple responsibilities with tenants and homeowners. Thus, to guarantee that the job is done efficiently and within schedule, you must partner with a professional technical team. Having a dedicated appliance repair company that handles all your maintenance demands is your best option. Some of the benefits of putting your business in expert hands are:
- Wider coverage. Partnering with an applaince maintenance company with multiple service locations in your area can assure you that they can promptly assess any appliance issue in your properties.
- Flat Rate. Hiring a company to do all your rental properties' maintenance and repairs for a flat fee saves decision-making time, especially when these problems happen outside office hours.
- Excellent Client Attention. When you are a client bringing your entire business to one company, be sure that you will get preferred treatment. It is not the same contacting a random repair company to perform an emergency service as using a company you trust and value you as a loyal client. Building professional relationships will reflect positively on your business.
Don’t wait until it is too late to repair a broken washing machine or a leaking dishwasher. As a property manager, you want to offer the best service to your rental properties. A happy tenant will stay longer, resulting in less turnover and reducing your vacancy time. Your appliances will perform better and longer. And you will reduce costs and increase profit.