When it comes to keeping your rental properties in top condition, and the people who rent from you happy, it’s imperative that you keep up on all of the repairs that come up.
This means not only handling big things like fire, flood or storm damage but also taking care of all of the little things that come up as well.
Let’s take a look at some of these basic repairs you should handle yourself.
Minor Plumbing Issues
While you should, of course, turn to a professional plumbing contractor for serious issues, major repairs, and new installations/replacements, it’s not necessary to call a plumber for every minor problem that comes up in one of your properties. Things such as clogs, minor leaks, and dripping or dribbling faucets can be handled on your own. It’s a good idea to not let the tenant handle these matters, though, since any problems that arise from them doing it wrong can come back to haunt you.
Minor Drywall Repair
Minor drywall damage is just a part of normal wear and tear when it comes to a rental unit. Most of the time these are not high-profile repairs, but they can have an impact on the look of your property’s interiors, and the level of happiness that your tenants have while living in the unit. Items like scrapes and minor holes can be easily addressed using a basic drywall repair kit that you can get from any home improvement and repair store. These kits include everything that you need to make a quick and easy basic repair of a small hole or gouge. The kit includes the mesh, the spackle, the sandpaper, and all of the tools that you need to get the job done. After the material sets for 24 hours or more, it can be smoothed out and repainted to match the rest of the wall.
Minor Cracks in Cement
When it comes to small repair in the cement of sidewalk, brick staircase, or another outdoor masonry you have a few repair options that you can do yourself. Mortar cement is a material that you can get at your local home improvement store. It allows you to make a repair without having to chip away old material as it will bond to anything that is already there. It’s great for securing bricks back into place, replacing walkway pavers, and handling small chips and cracks. If you have large scale cracks, mortar mix can be used to repair them as well, but you will need to chip out the area first before you can fill it in with the new compound. Making this type of repair quickly can save you issues with unhappy tenants, possible legal issues, problems with regulatory authorities, and more. Doing it yourself can also save you a lot of money over hiring a masonry contractor every time a minor issue arrives.
By doing these basic repairs yourself, and others like them, you can save time, save money, and keep your properties at their best. Good maintenance doesn’t always mean having to have a dedicated maintenance man on staff, or having to hire a professional contractor every time something comes up. A little handiness on your part can go a long way.
