At Clients 1st Property Management Specialists, we love the tenants we work with. We especially enjoy the relationships we form with residents who are willing to communicate, take care of their home, and follow the terms of their lease agreements.
Are you a good tenant?
You might have read a blog we published some time ago about how to be a good tenant. One of the things we recommend is that you take your maintenance responsibilities seriously.
What are those maintenance responsibilities? If you’re not sure, you should refer to your lease agreement. There, you’ll find some clear guidance on what you’re expected to do and what you should report to your Atlanta property manager.
Here’s an overview of what we expect from our outstanding tenants in terms of maintenance and repairs.
Be Proactive about Atlanta Rental Property Maintenance
First and perhaps most importantly, don’t wait for small problems to get worse. Take action right away. It’s better for you and it’s better for the property you’re living in.
When it’s something minor, go ahead and do what you can to solve the problem on your own. There’s no need to put in a maintenance request when a light bulb needs to be changed. Simply change the bulb yourself.
Involve your property manager when it is a problem that’s outside of a simple fix. Complete a maintenance request form when there’s a plumbing or electrical issue. If an appliance breaks down and you’ve done all you can to troubleshoot, go ahead and let us know.
Tenant Maintenance Responsibilities
Just as we expect you to change those light bulbs, we also expect you to change batteries and air filters. If the garbage disposal is clogged, try hitting the reset button under the sink before you put in a maintenance request. When the power goes out, don’t assume it’s a problem your property manager can solve. Find out if there’s an outage with your utility company first.
It’s also your responsibility to report maintenance issues in a timely manner. If the sink has been leaking for months, then the repair is going to be far more complicated and expensive than if you had reported it as soon as you noticed water pooling under the sink. Good tenants will be proactive about letting us know when something is wrong.
Make sure you correctly understand what a maintenance emergency is as well. If your rental property has two bathrooms, a toilet that won’t flush is frustrating. But, you have another toilet. You don’t need to report the problem in the middle of the night. Wait until the next morning.
Most of what you need to know is in your lease agreement. If you have any questions or need any clarification, please reach out to your Atlanta property manager here at Clients 1st Property Management Specialists. We are always ready to help.
The Clients 1st Team brings you decades of combined real estate industry experience and over 30+ years of experience in property management in metro-Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Our award-winning team provides quality, reliable services for our homeowners, buyers, sellers, tenants and investors.