:: Occupancy Heroes Inc :: » Jeffrey Muhammad

Overcome All Challenges

Jeffrey Muhammad — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:04:43 +0000

A word to the wise……

Nobody can claim to be a champion without a good challenger. When a challenge comes up in your life don’t shrink from it……

CONCUR IT!

Preventative Maintenance Ideas for Management Firms and Property Owners

Jeffrey Muhammad — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:13:37 +0000

After a tenant signs a lease and moves in, do you provide maintenance on an as-need basis or do you have any preventative measures in place? Practicing preventative maintenance when managing a property can help property owners, managers and even tenants avoid unnecessary expenses.

What are the most important preventive maintenance measures? For starters, when a tenant first moves into an apartment, the unit should be in a “move-in ready” condition based on industry’s standards. Upon signing a lease agreement, most tenants do a walk-through of the apartment to identify any issues and report them to management so that subsequent repairs can be made. These components are essential when dealing when preventing maintenance issues, but what more can a property manager do?

Here are top suggestions that will help you partner with your tenants to keep costs down and anticipate serious maintenance issues.

Security Deposit: This sounds like a dreaded topic, but in truth, it’s far from it. The security deposit protects the owner’s investment and helps safeguard the tenant’s compliance. Setting the right dollar amount is an imperative preventive measure that can help keep your costs down plus motivate your tenants to assist with caring for your property.

Watchful eyes: Helping tenants identify and report maintenance issues is critical with preventing maintenance issues. Provide tenants with a copy of an apartment maintenance overview which details how they should maintain their unit. Be sure and highlight certain problems to watch out for especially remind them which issues require a maintenance call.

Utilities’ cost savings: Providing your tenants with cost saving tips to save on electricity or water can be a way to help quell expensive repairs with (HVAC) AC/heaters, plumbing and other appliances. For example, for AC/heaters, recommending changing air filters regularly and watching for proper ventilation can save the tenant money and alleviate a potential problem.

Cleanliness: Written and verbal cleaning guidelines or sanitary expectations are essential when wanting to prevent serious maintenance issues like bug infestation. Offering your tenants discounts on a local or in-house cleaning service can be a simple way to ensure cooperation.

Schedule bi-annual maintenance checks. Some property owners schedule brief maintenance checks in order to arrange proper upkeep. This helps both parties monitor potential problems and make quick or necessary repairs.

Creating preventative measures and instilling expectations with your tenants is your first step towards preventative maintenance. Following these suggestions can help you reduce maintenance costs for you and your tenants. For more information on some of the checklists, outlined above, please sign
up for our Occupancy Heroes newsletters. Or, if you’re in need of additional support with your maintenance projects, visit our Maintenance Heroes
section of our website.

OH Free Maintenance Checklist – Get Your Units Move In Ready!

Jeffrey Muhammad — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:17:00 +0000

Ever wonder what it really means to be “Move In” ready? Well, Occupancy Heroes has you covered. Typically when people search for housing, their needs are immediate and in order capitalize on potential renters, available apartments must be clean and well maintained. That statement seems to be obvious, but in our line of business, it bears repeating. Units must be clean and well maintained. And to help you make sure your units are “move in” ready, here’s a free checklist to start.

Each unit should sparkle. A good list of general household cleaning should include:

Vacuum and Clean Floors
Clean Sliding Glass Doors
Remove Cobwebs
Dust Windowsills and Baseboards
Spot Clean Light Switch Plates
Dust Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures within Reach
Spot Clean Cabinet Exteriors
Spot Clean Walls
Clean Inside and Outside of all Appliances
Dust Window Blinds
Empty Trash
Clean and Sanitize Sinks, Tub, Toilets and Faucets
Shine Mirrors and Chrome
Vacuum and Sanitize Floor

Painted surfaces should also be inspected:

Check for cracks, deterioration or peeling paint and repair
Interior walls, ceilings
Interior and exterior doors and windows
Exterior buildings including carports and storage units
Mailbox stations
Fences
Porches and decks

Everything should be in good repair.

Did you know Occupancy Heroes offers an array of maintenance services? Aside from our leasing services, we specialize in cleaning and repairing many of the items in the checklist above. In fact, we are often asked by our clients to provide them with a detailed guide to give to their maintenance staff. Here’s a copy of the professional checklist created by Occupancy Heroes and followed by our Maintenance Heroes.

Feel free to download the pdf list and print to use and distribute. Or, just call us and we’ll have our Maintenance Heroes take care of it all. Our “Maintenance Heroes” are professional, efficient and can be available almost immediately.

Lease up is an extremely busy time and you have a lot to cover. A team of professionals from Occupancy Heroes can expertly handle your maintenance and cleaning concerns. We have trained Heroes in every area of the leasing business, from helping you get those units ready to show, to filling them and maintaining a high occupancy rate. We can make lease up a lot less stressful for you and your staff!

To find out more about our Maintenance Heroes or our leasing services, please visit “Our Services” section of our website @ www.occupancyheroes.com.