How to Handle Emergency Repairs in Your Rental Property: A Southwest Washington Landlord’s Quick Guide

Do you like surprises? 

Maybe you do, but most real estate investors and landlords are not a fan of surprises when we’re talking about their rental properties. 

We’re talking about emergency maintenance today. 

There’s a lot to love about owning rental property in Southwest Washington. There’s the rental income that’s consistent and rising. There’s the long term appreciation and the equity you earn while your tenants are paying off your mortgage. 

It’s not without its challenges and risks, however. A major challenge is those emergency repairs. What do you do when something goes wrong unexpectedly? 

The quickest and easiest solution is to rely on a professional maintenance team to handle all of the emergency repairs that come up. However, this isn’t always easy, especially if you’re managing and maintaining your properties on your own, without the benefit of a professional property management partner. 

Here are some of our most helpful tips for handling emergency repairs in your rental property. 

Establish an Emergency Maintenance Plan

First and foremost, landlords should always be prepared for emergency repairs. You’ll want to have a plan in place for how to respond to middle-of-the-night calls from tenants, plumbing emergencies, electrical problems, or habitability issues. Make sure your tenants understand the process for making an emergency maintenance request; it’s likely different from how they’ll request a routine repair. 

Someone has to be available to your tenants 24 hours a day and seven days a week. If you’re not working with a property manager, that emergency contact person is likely going to be you. So, your tenants will need to know how to reach you. Make sure they have your phone numbers and be sure to answer those calls, especially if they’re coming in at odd hours. That’s usually a pretty good indication that something is very wrong. 

Relationships with vendors will be very important.  Having pre-existing relationships with plumbers, electricians, HVAC experts, roofers, etc. will ensure that you get help immediately when something goes wrong. When you have reliable vendors and service professionals in your contacts, you can be sure you’ll minimize the possible damage to your property and ensure your tenant's well-being. 

Safety First for Your Tenants and Your Property

The safety of your tenants is a top priority when handling emergency repairs, and once you know your tenants are safe, you want to work hard to mitigate any further damage to your investment. This is where preventative maintenance walk-throughs and inspections can help. You might be able to avoid emergency repairs when you’re proactive with routine repairs and preventative maintenance. Do a safety walk-through to identify potential hazards or risks that need to be addressed. 

Make sure your tenants understand that you should be contacted right away, but only once they can safely get in touch. For example, if there’s a fire at your rental home, you’ll want your tenants to call 911 first, and you second. When responding to a maintenance emergency, ensure tenants can safely stay in the property while repairs are made, and if they cannot safely stay there, move them somewhere else until the required repair work can be completed. 

These steps taken to prioritize safety can be the difference that minimizes damage to your rental property, loss of revenue, or tenant injury.

Communication During Maintenance Emergencies

Maintaining clear communication with your tenants is crucial in handling emergency repairs. If there’s ever a time where over-communication is appropriate, it’s during a maintenance emergency. You’ll want to keep your tenants apprised of all repair plans. You may need to be sure that they’re at home when you send various repair people over. 

If the repair work will take a while to be completed, be sure to keep tenants updated and inform them of the necessary steps they need to take. Always manage tenants' expectations and avoid making promises that can’t be kept. Most tenants will just want to know that the problem is being solved. By keeping them informed, they’ll feel reassured that you’re doing everything you can to restore your property to a home that’s safe, habitable, and comfortable. 

Document All Repairs and Communication 

Documenting all communication, repairs, and receipts provides a crucial record of your emergency repair process. You’ll want to make a note of when your tenants reported the problem, what you did, and which vendors were called to make the repairs and mitigate any further damage. You’ll need receipts and invoices, especially for tax deductions and to keep your maintenance budget accurate. 

Good documentation can also help you plan for future repairs and avoid additional emergencies. Understanding the age of your appliances and systems, for example, can help you avoid those expensive surprises. If you know your water heater passed the 10-year mark three years ago, you might want to invest in a new water heater before your existing one begins to leak or rust. 

Establish a Maintenance Reserve