The end of one year and the beginning of a new one bring with them a nearly-certain need for annual maintenance. When better than now to make sure everything is functioning as it should and is ready to face 2017? Your tenants or renters will thank you for this “gift” of ensuring that everything on the property is working well as you all kick off the new year.
How to Manage Your Annual Maintenance
If your property, whether commercial or residential, offers public spaces for your customers’ use, then this is where you should begin your annual maintenance check. After all, common areas are used fairly frequently by those who live or work there, so whether it’s a fitness center or just the internet, you want to make sure everything is working as it should.
Take a look around for obvious wear and tear, for washing machines that are out of order or a lounge TV that isn’t turning on. These may be things you noticed previously but were too busy to attend to. “You need a solid infrastructure to keep the building in tip top shape,” and keeping things up and running (smoothly) will ensure that your tenants and renters want to stick around. This is particularly important as a lot of leases are up in the spring and early summer, so tend to these issues now before concerned clients move away, or before new ones come to take a look at what you have to offer.
If yours is a residential property, then your annual maintenance should include tending to the units that are currently unoccupied. If you have the time and budget to give them a fresh coat of paint, to repair/update alliances, to even just dust and sweep up, then it will make a big difference when potential residents come to look. Of course, if you attend to these types of things on a more frequent basis, then you will have much less to do within this yearly “check-ups.” It can save you a lot of time and money to look into maintenance every month or so!
In addition to repainting every so often, don’t forget what’s beneath your feet. Hardwood can use a good buffing every once in a while and carpets can absolutely use cleaning or even replacing if they are older than five years. The latter can begin to tear up and curl, providing tripping hazards if they are doing so in common spaces. Modernize with the latest light bulbs and fixtures to not only refresh the look of these areas, but also to save money and energy when your power bills come rolling in. You’ll be amazed at the different it makes to put LED lights in all of those sockets.
The interior isn’t the only place that needs your attention. The outside is, of course, what guests first see when they arrive, so include touching up the exterior as part of your annual maintenance. Clean glass routinely, whether doors or windows or other, so that they are fingerprint and streak-free. Exterior features like paint and other textures may required touching up or cleaning, since they are exposed constantly to the elements and all the dirt that that entails. Finally, have things like gutters and other water-exposed fixtures cleared out so that they don’t cause leaks as they are slowly blocked with leaves and other debris.
“Remember that some maintenance steps are required, according to city or state guidelines.” This may mean a more “official” check by city officials, electricians, etc. who have to confirm that everything is safe and up to code. Often times maintenance goes beyond simple aesthetic appeal or superficial problems and can cause major issues later on, some of which could be harmful to life and limb if they are left unattended. For these kinds of things, make sure you have someone qualified to attend to the repairs, if needed, or simply to the inspection; it’s doubtful that you yourself can rightfully inspect wiring and deem it safe.
You have a lot to do to keep up with annual maintenance, but it certainly isn’t impossible. Take it in small doses throughout the year, instead, to reduce the amount of work on your plate. You can also rely on SKYLINE Property Management and Accounting Software with any kind of property at any time of year to handle the bulk of your management tasks. SKYLINE boasts both power and speed of use so that you never have to worry about losing maintenance information in a paper file again.