Blog Post

Maintenance Items, Maintenance Record, and Property Expenses

Dustin Edwards • Aug 18, 2022

Keeping Records and Tracking Expenses is Essential For Property Managers

An inevitable aspect of operating your Long Beach rental is dealing with maintenance. While this can be a frustrating experience for you, it’s also very bothersome for your tenants and poses a potential safety hazard. Not to mention, tenants who are unhappy with the condition of your rental may not opt to renew their lease and even negatively impact your local reputation. 


The best way to avoid these possible issues is by staying on top of key aspects of your property to minimize potential headaches. Although it’s impossible to predict
every maintenance problem, completing consistent inspections throughout your property and making minor adjustments can have a major impact on property longevity and resident contentedness. Here are the best tips and tricks for keeping a low-maintenance rental. 


Routine Check-Ups of Essential Systems

Routine check-ups are simple and easy actions that you only need to complete a few times a year but can save you from disaster. Along with common repairs, you should also complete these routine check-ups after tenants move out. 


One of the most important items to check on frequently are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. First off, you need to ensure that your rental meets the California Building Code that requires there must be one smoke alarm on every floor of non-sleeping rooms, one smoke alarm in every sleeping room, and one smoke alarm in every hallway that leads to a sleeping room. Then, you also need to replace
all carbon monoxide detector batteries biannually. Similarly, you usually need to replace all smoke detector batteries annually, but some smoke detectors come with batteries that last for ten years. Understanding which kind you have is imperative to know when replacements are necessary. By doing this, you avoid any false chirping, which is both annoying and might falsely scare tenants into thinking there is a threat. Additionally, this gives you time to check on all the detectors and see if they are malfunctioning or broken. 


It’s also important that you get your rental’s HVAC system serviced and cleaned by a professional once a year. Not only does this improve longevity, but it also prevents larger maintenance issues from coming up that would greatly inconvenience your tenants, especially during a heat wave or cold spell. 


Though it’s good to check on appliances (especially washers, dryers, stoves, ovens, and refrigerators) to confirm that they’re working properly,
everything has a shelf life and sometimes repairs or replacements are not always preventable. 


How Expenses Can Help Your Rental Property

When it comes to these necessary repairs or replacements, remember that they can actually have a positive impact by improving property value and increasing interest for future tenants. 


This is not only true for buying new appliances, but also for taking on much larger projects such as re-roofing, paving a new driveway, replacing flooring, or repainting. Yes, these projects may not be
necessary, yet they can be incredibly valuable in boosting curb appeal. 


Keeping Record of Maintenance to Your Long Beach Rental

Whenever you complete any of these tasks, write them down in a Maintenance Log so that you don’t forget to do them or accidentally do them multiple times. Additionally, keep a record of who completed jobs like HVAC system inspections or renovation projects for future reference. Maintaining these long-term connections can make scheduling projects or calling in emergency repairs much easier. Instead of hiring someone new and unfamiliar, you can use a trustworthy individual who you and your renters are comfortable and happy with. 


This documentation is also incredibly helpful during tax time. Instead of aimlessly searching for receipts and hopelessly trying to remember dates off the top of your head, you can have all of your records in one place ready at your convenience. 


Following these action items will ultimately make your life much easier and help you avoid various maintenance problems that would otherwise take up lots of your time, energy, and money. That said, even the most efficient and careful landlord can’t dodge everything. There will
always be unexpected crises that creep up on you and your tenants; however, being prepared for them ahead of time will make them much easier to handle, especially if you have a reliable property management company by your side. To learn more, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or you can fill out our Owner Application online.

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By Dustin Edwards 01 May, 2024
Everyone wants to feel safe in their homes. As an investment property owner, it's up to you to decide whether or not to include security measures in your property. Many of the costs associated with the security measures can be included in the rent, meaning not only can you keep your property safe, but you can earn more income in the long run. However, you would still want your tenants to have renters insurance to protect their assets. Today, we’ll discuss the top five security measures you can add to your property and why they're beneficial to you and your tenant. Security Cameras Cameras are probably one of the first security measures people think about when asked about security. Cameras provide more benefits than just surveillance. They provide an extra level of security for the safety of the tenants and their belongings. Additionally, security cameras can be useful when repairs are required. Cameras can aid in supervising repairs and maintenance to ensure you’re receiving the agreed-upon work. During vacancies when the property is empty, security cameras can help keep the property safe from potential intruders. Doorbell cameras are incredibly popular now. They provide the aforementioned safety of a camera that can be accessed remotely, as well as the ability to communicate with visitors. Although one must be careful never to say you're not home, just say you're unavailable to strangers. Security Lights Security lights with motion detectors are another effective tool when adding security measures to your property. These lights brightly if a potential intruder attempts to get near your home. They can provide enough illumination to see the intruder or, at the very least, scare them off. Nowadays, you can find a combination of security cameras and motion-activated security lights, such as the floodlight cam wired plus from Ring . Additionally, because these lights only turn on when motion is detected, they’re more cost-effective than traditional lights with a switch. Illuminate the Property Light generally deters intruders as it's more difficult to hide. Adding lighting to the landscaping can increase the security of the property while creating a relaxing atmosphere. Lights can also be used in other areas of the property to accent features such as trees, benches, or artwork. This can help your property stand out while giving your tenants an additional feeling of safety. Keyless Entry Keyless entry is seen as both a convenience feature and a security feature. They usually use an electronic passcode, biometric data, or grant access through a smartphone app. Physical keys can be lost, stolen, or duplicated. You reduce the risk of unauthorized entry by eliminating the need for a physical key to enter the property. Many keyless entry systems include several features, such as remote locking and monitoring. Although keyless entry is a great new technology for keeping your tenants and properties safe, they’re best used with other security systems. Security Company Nothing beats having an extra pair of eyes on your property for security. This is where security companies like ADT and SimpliSafe come in. While companies may deal with security in varying ways, they aim to protect your investment. While safety is the primary role of a security company, remember that many tenants may be willing to pay more for a premium amenity like a home security company. Keeping your property and tenants safe is incredibly important to the longevity of an investment property. If you’re looking to improve the security of your Long Beach rental property or need help managing your beach city rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or fill out our Owner Application online .
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