Keeping your properties in tip-top shape -
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Published on: 3/5/2003
Last Visited: 12/14/2003
Chicago-based property manager Gary Kass recalls an incident that convinced him that routine maintenance is a must.An elderly female tenant fractured her ankle while walking down some common steps in one of the buildings he manages.Apparently, the carpeting on the step she tripped on was slightly loose and wrinkled - something not easily detectable.Even though it was determined through hospital lab tests that the woman was inebriated, she won a $60,000 lawsuit and continues to live in the building.
"It makes you more conscious when you're managing property," said Kass.His firm oversees approximately 4,000 residential units.
Small things (such as slightly loose carpeting) that are often overlooked by maintenance crews can lead to costly legal matters and, even worse, loss of business for the property manager.
"We've learned the hard way," noted Kass.
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Rose Ann Duffy, a property manager with Midwest Property Management Plus in Independence, Penn., concurs with Kass, emphasizing that a maintenance plan is crucial.
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For instance, Kass has such a list and distributes a copy to each of his property managers.It includes seasonal tasks: air-conditioner cleaning in the spring, snow equipment and door/window treatments in the fall, and much more.
Year round, maintenance workers with whom he contracts check for broken concrete around the property, torn carpeting, faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and broken door locks.He, like most property managers, also has a plan of action for emergency situations.
Kass documents every routine and tenant request maintenance job: what was done, when, and the outcome.He keeps a copy of this in his office and a copy goes to the tenant, if needed.He also recommends soliciting tenant reactions to gauge satisfaction of the work performed.
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