DON’T NEGLECT YOUR COMMON AREA MAINTENANCE
SHOW YOUR TENANTS THAT THEY’RE VALUED
As we’ve established, the goal to real estate investment success lies in long term, hassle free tenancy. You don’t want evictions. You don’t want vacancy and the costs that come with making a unit “rent ready”. You don’t want conflict. You want to create a culture of respect where tenants will reciprocate by respecting the property they call home. You want to show your tenants that their wellbeing matters to you, that you value them. On top of honoring maintenance requests and being an appropriately engaged landlord, there is one really easy way to deliver this message: KEEP COMMON AREAS CLEAN.
[ Learn More: THE BEST LANDLORDS CULTIVATE THE STRONGEST RELATIONSHIPS ]
Hallways, laundry areas, parking lots or driveways. They’re all areas that tenants move through regularly and often multiple times a day. If those experiences are marred by dirt, dust, garbage, debris, and general disrepair, how do you expect people to feel about the place they call home? As a property owner, it is essential that you do not forget to maintain common areas. We’re not saying your stairways and halls need to be hotel quality, but think about how much effort hotels put into their lobbies and common areas. At a different scale, your objective is exactly the same. Hassle free tenancy correlated directly with tenant comfort. If you want people to be happy, surround them with a setting that creates positive thoughts.
[ Learn More: MAKE SURE YOUR TENANTS HAVE THE HEAT THEY NEED ]
To pile on and take the analogy even further, yet closer to home, we take the same approach with all of our Nexus offices. While we preach efficiency and are dedicated to adding value for clients as our guiding principle, we also take great pride in the appearance of our office. What your common areas look like tell anyone who walks into them about the enthusiasm you have for what you do. Make your tenants feel that you’re enthusiastic about their wellbeing.
CLEAN, CARED FOR, WELCOMING COMMON AREAS: When a tenant comes into the office to sign a lease, looks around, and says, “Man, I feel like I’m signing a record deal”, you know your common area is doing its job.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
At Nexus Property Management®, we offer routine maintenance of common areas as a service to our clients. If you have a property manager, ask them to offer similar services. It will be well worth it for you, as a client, and for them, as a management company. If you manage your own property, cleaning common areas quarterly would be an appropriate timeline to keep your property tidy and show your tenants you care.
Remember, little things go a long way. Sweeping and mopping are a must. Picking up stray trash and giving attention to areas where garbage cans are located is also wise. But don’t forget the laundry room. Empty containers or fabric softener tend to find their way to the floor, and as it piles up, it’s less likely to be addressed by tenants. Lint can build up on floors, walls, laundry machines. Tend to this simple thing and make a huge difference. Take 5 minutes to thoroughly clean the lint screen and you not only decrease the amount of lint that spreads but will likely save yourself some money on electric bills. If you can spend 1 hour, every 3 months, in cleaning common areas, like you would your own home, it’ll make a world of difference for the people who actually live there. You might even notice some other, bigger ticket items, that need to be addressed, that could have been costly if left unattended (i.e. mattress left behind that could become a home for rodents).
[ Learn More: ORGANIZING AND BOOKKEEPING ARE SEEDS OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SUCCESS ]
CULTURE MATTERS:
Anyone who runs anything successfully, especially in the service industry, will tell you that culture matters. Cleaning and giving attention to common areas is a simple way to make a good impression on your tenants and anyone who enters your property. 3 hours of maintenance a year will go a long way in solidifying a culture that says, “I care about this place and you should too”.
As always, reach out to our team if you have any questions or want to learn more. Nexus also offers franchise opportunities nationwide.
NEXUS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT® FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
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Mick Lefort is the Vice President of Operations for Nexus Property Management®. A National Property Management Franchise that manages all types of rental property from single family homes or condos to large apartment buildings and complexes.
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