Most Commonly Found Problems

We also have all furnaces serviced in the Fall by a licensed heating contractor. You cannot be certain that the tenant will change batteries in the CO Detectors, change filters or oil the fan motor.

The problems most commonly found during maintenance checks are: (1) carpet stains, (2) writing on walls, (3) filthy kitchens, (4) illegal pets, (5)illegal residents, (6) illegal business operations, (7) major car repairing and (8) drug activity. If no survey is done, you may discover any of the above only at the end of the lease and only after the damage has been done.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

Continuing Our Discussion

In the last few blogs we discussed two of the recommended maintenance procedures Make Ready and the first part of Maintenance Surveys. We will now continue our discussion on the importance of Maintenance and Yard Surveys.

Basically, your check list, both internal and external, is the same one you normally use to prepare the property for rental. You are trying to find small problems and have them repaired before they become big problems.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

When and How?

Having explained the need for this Maintenance/Condition Survey, when and how is it done? The maintenance aspect can be done at tenant turnover time. However, that frequently happens at an extremely busy time of year. Why not do it when things are slower? In Colorado, that is during the winter months. Additionally, maintenance people tend to be less busy and are happy to make more minor repairs. We will continue on the importance of Maintenance and Yard Checks in the next blog.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

Legal Liability

The way a tenant lives in the property may also be a serious problem. No tenant ever tells you they intend to abuse the property. Experience has proven that a certain number, although small, will violate important terms of the lease. One example we found was an illegal child care center (eight children per day under the age of six) at one of the properties. The lease prohibited such activity. To make matters worse, the tenant was not licensed and carried no insurance as required by Colorado law. The legal liability to our firm and the client was a frightening thought.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

Potential Problem

Tenants will generally call for repairs when something is so broken it causes a direct, annoying problem. However, if the repair does not rise to that level, you may only hear about it after it has become a major problem. The best example is grouting around ceramic tile in the bathtub. A $60 minor repair job could prevent extensive damage and possible replacement of the drywall behind the tile, thus saving major dollars. The Maintenance Survey will spot this type of potential problem.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

Why Planned Surveys?

Why have planned maintenance/condition survey programs? The reasons fall into two categories. The first, preventative or proactive maintenance  may save your clients significant dollars as well as protecting the safety and health of the tenants. The second, ascertaining the tenant living conditions in the unit, may prevent illegal activity or high make-ready costs for a new occupant.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com

Prevent Loss of Control

As your business grows larger, it becomes harder to know the physical interior/exterior conditions of properties. As your knowledge of the units decreases, your problems most certainly will increase.

In order to prevent a loss of control over properties, you should consider a planned maintenance/condition survey. I say "survey" as opposed to "inspection" because there is a difference. An inspection is an examination in an official capacity ( i.e., licensed building contractor or a Certified Safety Inspector) versus a survey which is an examination with reference to condition.

Peter Meer is President/Broker of Meer & Company, Inc., 303-322-1550, which manages 150 single family homes and properties in Denver, Colorado. He holds the Master Property Manager (MPM) designation and the firm holds the Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC) designation from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). To learn more about Peter's Landlord solutions visit Meer and Company website at www.meerandco.com