Property Maintenance

If you’re a property manager, there are some key decisions you need to make regarding appliances in your rental property:

• What is considered an appliance?
• What appliances are you required to provide according to your state laws?
• What appliances will you be providing to get the best market rent?
• What responsibilities do you or your tenants have to maintain and repair appliances?
• What is the best maintenance plan for your appliances?

What is considered an appliance in a rental property?

An appliance is generally an electrical or gas-powered device for tenant usage. Appliances you provide are determined by what’s required by your state and also what is stipulated in your lease.

What appliances are you required to provide?

Typically, appliances you are required to provide are determined by state law. There are typically three groups of appliances:

1. Legally required
2. Commonly provided
3. Luxury apartments or Furnished Apartments

Legally required – are minimal to ensure the rental property is habitable:

• Heating system
• Hot and cold water
• Functional plumbing and electrical
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Commonly provided – while they are not legally required, most landlords provide these to be competitive:

• Refrigerator
• Stove/Oven
• Microwave
• Dishwasher
• Washer & Dryer
• Air conditioning

What types of Appliances should be supplied for Furnished Finders or Luxury Apartments?

Tenants expect more appliances and higher-end appliances. So beyond the required and commonly provided appliances, here are some other appliances that would typically be expected:

• Coffee Maker
• Toaster Oven
• Blender
• TV
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Hairdryer
• Wine Cooler
• Ceiling Fans
• Built-in Sound System

What types of appliances should be supplied for a studio apartment?

Studio apartments are smaller, so space efficiency is at a premium. You would typically supply compact, space-saving appliances. You would typically provide what’s legally required and commonly provided appliances.

Who is responsible for appliance maintenance, property manager or tenant?

The final authority of who is responsible for what is based on your state laws and what the lease stipulates.

In general, here is how the responsibilities are divided.

Property Manager Responsibilities:

• Provide and maintain essential appliances.
• Fix normal wear and tear issues
• Ensure Habitability – (heat working, hot water, electricity and functioning plumbing).

Tenant Responsibilities:

• Cleanliness of appliances
• Report issues right away
• Damage caused by misuse (break fridge shelves, overload dishwasher)

Lease-specific clauses can shift responsibilities:

• Minor repairs could be specified as tenant responsibilities
• Unfurnished apartment with tenant required to supply and maintain appliances
• Luxury apartment with maintenance services included for premium rent.

Best way to manage appliances – Have an appliance inventory list with a maintenance plan.

What is an appliance inventory list?

An appliance inventory list is a detailed record of all appliances in your rental property with all pertinent information. As a property manager it’s a best practice for you to have one. It would typically have information like type of appliance, brand, purchase date, life expectancy, condition, maintenance plan, and maintenance history for each appliance.

Having an inventory list helps you in the following ways:

• Track appliance condition and lifespan – helps you plan for its lifetime, plan proactive maintenance.
• Avoid disputes – document what appliances and what condition appliances were provided to tenants.
• Create maintenance plans – identify warranty status, schedule maintenance and order spare parts.
• Plan purchase of appliances – knowing their lifespan, you can budget and plan purchase for replacements.

Here is a sample appliance inventory list:

Here is a sample appliance service history list:

What is the best maintenance plan for your appliances?

A good maintenance plan is required to make sure your appliances are working efficiently and to prevent major issues. Based on recommendations from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. It should consist of:

• Regular cleaning
• Scheduled inspections
• Preventative maintenance on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis as required.
• Regular replacement of parts that get used up (batteries, filters …)
• Emergency repair as needed

Appliance Maintenance Plan:

Once you’ve determined the maintenance plan for your appliances as a property manager, you should have clear communication about the tenant’s responsibilities. You should also make sure that the lease conveys this information.

How can SimplifyEm help you maintain your appliances in your rental property?

The key to maintaining your appliance is:

• Having a maintenance plan with specific dates and tasks, which you can do with the task center in SimplifyEm
  Having a ready list of vendors to help deal with repair issues, which you can manage via the vendor center in SimplifyEm.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Appliance Maintenance

What are appliances that a property manager is required to have in a rental property by law?

Since laws that govern this tend to be local, you should investigate your state laws. In general, you have to provide a habitable property so basic things like heating, hot water, functional plumbing and electrical are required by law.

What are common appliances that are expected by most tenants?

Beyond what’s required by law, most tenants would expect basic appliances in the kitchen such as stove/oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Also many times they would expect access to washer/dryer in-unit or in the building. If you’re in a hot climate, air conditioning can become a high priority.

What is a good way to manage the appliances in a rental property?

You should create and manage a list of appliances you’re supplying for the rental property, as well as a maintenance plan for each appliance.

With clear communication as to the tenant’s as well as property manager’s responsibilities in executing the maintenance plan.

Sources:

https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/appliance-and-equipment-standards-program

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/home-maintenance

There are 59.8 million dog-owning households in the United States, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

So if you don’t accept dogs in your rental property, you are leaving out a lot of potential tenants for your rental property. This can mean not getting maximum profits for your property.

However, if you do accept dogs, you have to deal with the issues that dogs can cause, such as dog odors, stains they can cause, and also the damage they can create to your rental property.

You should clearly communicate maintenance responsibilities with your tenants, and it should be made clear in the lease. There should also be a proactive maintenance plan to deal with damage they can cause.

Pet Deposit for Dogs

You can charge a pet fee or pet rent (non-refundable) to proactively pay for normal wear and tear damage done by dogs.

A pet deposit for dogs is paid upfront and refundable, similar to a security deposit. It safeguards against potential damage done by dogs, such as scratched floors, chewed-up carpets, or stains.

Since it’s refundable if no damage occurs, the money is returned to the tenant.

Problems that Dogs Can Cause: Dog Urine Odor, Dog Stains

Dogs can be joyful companions; they also can introduce challenges to a property. Some common problems are:

• Dog urine odor
• Stains on carpets and floors

Dog Urine Odor – When dogs are untrained, they can leave urine on floors and carpets. This can leave a lingering odor that seeps into the house, making it difficult to remove.

Dog Stains – Urine stains, paw prints, and dog scratches can leave permanent spots and marks on flooring, future, and walls. This can lower the value of your rental property.

Solutions to Problems Caused by Dogs – Carpet Cleaner, Urine Smell Remover, Lease Clauses

Now that you know the problems dogs can cause, as a property manager, you should proactively think of solutions such as:

• Carpet cleaners
• Urine smell remover
• Lease clauses for renters

Carpet Cleaner – A high-quality enzyme-based cleaner that breaks down urine molecules rather than just a scent masker is absolutely required. Regular steam cleaning to get rid of stains in carpets should be a regular part of the maintenance plan for your rental property.

What is the Best Carpet Cleaner for Dog Urine?

According to Spruce Pets the best three carpet cleaners to deal with dog stains and urine are:

• Oxiclean Carpet Stain Remover
• Kids ‘N’ Pets Instant All-Purpose Stain & Odor Remover
• Angry Orange Ready-to-Use Citrus Pet Odor Eliminator Spray

Urine Smell Remover – Enzyme-based urine removers are designed to neutralize pet odors at a molecular level. They are effective because they break down the uric acid in urine, which is the main culprit leading to odor.

You can also try home-made natural methods. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray the area. After cleaning, sprinkle baking soda to absorb urine odor.

Lease Clauses – One of the best things you can do as a landlord is to clearly depict tenant responsibilities in the lease agreement. You should think about lease terms about pet damage, tenant regular maintenance activities such as deep cleaning and proactive repairs for damage done by their dogs. Also consider additional pet rent and pet deposit for damage to be fixed after the tenant moves out.

How can SimplifyEm help if your tenants have Dogs?

SimplifyEm Property Management Software provides key functionalities to manage dogs in a rental property:

Rental lease agreements with E-signature that can have comprehensive lease terms to handle dogs as pets.
Keeping track of rent, pet rent, and pet deposits for accurate tenant bookkeeping
Schedule Task and Work Orders to help you proactively maintain your rental property.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – on Managing Dogs in Apartments

• Should I allow dogs in my rental property?

The benefits of allowing dogs in your rental property are many:

• Larger tenant applicant pool: Many renters have pets, so more people will consider your property.
• Higher rent: Since fewer property managers are willing to accept pets, you can charge pet rent and/or pet fees which increases your income.
• More likely to stay longer – Since Pet owners have fewer rental options, they are most likely to stay longer.

The Costs of allowing dogs also have to be considered:

• Property damage: Dogs are known to create scratch marks, chew through items and leave a lingering odor
• Noise issues: If you’re managing a multi-unit property, you have to consider the noise dogs can cause which could disturb other tenants.
• Liability: Dogs can bite someone, which could create legal exposure for you. You should be well insured.

• What are the properties of an effective carpet cleaner for pet urine?

A carpet cleaner for pet urine should have the following qualities:

• Enzyme based formula that can break down uric acid, which causes an unpleasant smell from urine.
• It should also neutralize odor.
• Urine can leave a yellow stain, your carpet cleaner should have an oxygen-based or hydrogen peroxide-based stain remover.
• It should be pet-safe.

• Is it good to be considered a Pet Friendly Apartment?

There are many benefits to being considered pet friendly:

• Larger pool of tenants
• Ability to charge higher rent
• Tenant likely to stay longer
• Potentially more responsible tenants since they are responsible for pets.
• Helps your property standout in a competitive market

There are some costs you should consider as well:

• Property Damage Risk
• Odor maintenance
• Noise and liability risks

Sources:
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics

https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-carpet-cleaner-solutions-for-pets-4174466

Gnats are irritating and can cause health issues. According to Orkin, gnat bites can cause skin swelling and itchiness. If you continuously scratch, you can develop an open sore, which can lead to bacterial infection.

As a property manager, it’s important to proactively have a prevention strategy. If there is an infestation, you should act on it quickly, since it can grow quickly. For example fruit flies, which are a type of gnat, can lay up to 500 eggs at once.

What Are Gnats?

Gnats are small winged insects. Some common examples would be fruit flies, drain flies, and black flies.

They tend to like moist areas and organic stuff. Some examples of things they like, according to WebMD:

• Overripe fruits and vegetables
• Decaying plant matter
• Fungus

How To Know If You Have A Gnat Infestation

You’ll typically see a group of adult flies around standing water, fruit and vegetables, or plants. It varies based on the type of gnat. For instance, Fungus gnats tend to hang around windows and glass doors. Since they can’t fly long distances, it’s a sign of an infestation close by.

If you have an infestation, identify the places where they live and make it less hospitable for gnats. Since they like moisture, they’re likely to be in the kitchen, bathroom, or around standing water such as overwatered plants or water bowls for your pet.

Something you can do:

• Clean the area around sink drains, pour hot water into the drain to keep it clean of debris.
• Another good mixture is white vinegar and hot water to keep the drain clean.
• Bleach can be used in your drain with plenty of water. Don’t use it if you have a septic system, since that causes damage.
• Do not overwater houseplants
• Fix leaky faucets, so there is no standing water

How Can You Get Rid of Gnats?

There are a variety of solutions to get rid of gnats that vary from natural remedies, store-bought chemicals, and also professional pest control firms.

1) Natural remedies such as vinegar gnat trap. You can get a bowl full of vinegar and mix it with a couple of drops of dish soap. You can cover it with plastic and poke holes in the plastic big enough for the gnats to enter. The gnats are attracted to the vinegar, but then they can not leave and drown.

According to US Government Research (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) , mustard meal can also help control Fungus Gnats.

2) You can buy gnat traps from the store. They’re usually sticky and yellow. They attract gnats, and they get stuck to them. You can also buy spray from your retail store; just be careful around pets and kids.

3) You can also get a professional pest control firm which can be very effective. You can set up a regular maintenance schedule with them so the infestation doesn’t reoccur. According to Angie’s list, you can expect treatments to cost anywhere from $150 to $250.

How Can You Prevent A Gnat Infestation?

You can prevent an infestation by:

• Doing regular maintenance
• Getting rid of things that attracts gnats
• Having a gnat repellent strategy

1) Regular maintenance is being aware and doing the basic things to prevent an infestation.

• Keep drain pipes clean of debris that attracts them.
• Don’t overwater your plants
• Keep kitchen surfaces clean
• Seal entry points from the outside of your house around windows and doors.
• Take out trash regularly

2) Getting rid of things that attract gnats is an important prevention step. Sweet and fruity scents are something that attracts gnats.

3) The best gnat repellent strategy is to not be an attractive place for them. Try to have standing water, drain pipes with food bits, the kitchen-counter should be clean, and garbage should be taken out regularly. Beyond that, there are smells gnats do not like, such as peppermint, vinegar, lemon, lavender, and garlic.

Frequently Ask Questions on Gnat Infestation

How do I get rid of gnats from my drain?
The best way is to keep your drain pipes free of food bits and organic matter that they feed on. Regularly pour hot water with vinegar down the drain.
How can I get rid of gnats in my yard?
Getting rid of gnats from your yard is a great way to prevent them from entering the house. The two methods are to let your lawn and water dry between waterings. You can also hang traps in your yard.

Sources:
https://www.orkin.com/pests/flies/gnats/gnat-infestation
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/gnats-what-to-know
https://www.angi.com/articles/gnat-exterminator-cost.htm
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy05osti/35333.pdf