Protecting the condition of your investment means responding right away to routine and emergency maintenance issues. It also requires you to establish a preventative maintenance routine. Why wait for the water heater to explode in the middle of the night? If you have it serviced on an annual basis, you’re less likely to be called about that repair.
Most rental property owners in Ormond Beach know that emergency repairs are expensive. If you want to avoid them, you need to stay on top of preventative maintenance issues.
We have a few tips on how to utilize preventative maintenance strategies to keep your repair costs down when you’re renting out an Ormond Beach investment property.
Remember that coastal Florida provides a number of unique maintenance situations. It’s hot, stormy, and there are bugs. A lot of bugs.
Air Conditioning is a Preventative Maintenance Issue
The weather in Ormond Beach is beautiful in the winter. It’s hot and humid the rest of the year. Our summer season is long and you can be sure your rental property’s air conditioning unit will run almost all year. Since the heating and cooling system will be well-used, it must be properly maintained.
The HVAC is one of the most expensive systems in your rental home, so you want to make sure it’s running as efficiently and effectively as it can. Preventative maintenance is going to help keep your repair costs down. You don’t want your tenants calling on a 94-degree day in August to complain that the air conditioning isn’t working. Replacing a unit is likely going to cost more than $5,000 or $6,000. The best way to avoid that extreme expense is by establishing a relationship with an HVAC company.
Have a technician come out to your property annually to inspect and clean the HVAC. This will ensure that any problems are detected early. Your tenants will remain comfortable and you’ll increase the life expectancy of your cooling system.
Remind tenants of their role in this preventative maintenance program. They need to change the air filters regularly. Make sure this is in your lease agreement.
Water and Preventative Maintenance
Our climate is humid, and all the moisture in the air and the soil can do an excellent job of creating problems for your Ormond Beach rental home. Always look for leaks when you’re inspecting the property. Check under sinks and behind toilets. Look for evidence of water in the ceiling or behind walls.
Inspect your water heater at least once a year and flush the tank. Test the pressure relief valve, and look for any evidence of rust or corrosion. Check for leaks and look at the intake screen.
Pay attention to even minor leaks and look for standing water or lack of drainage. Have your landscaping looked at once a year, and make sure any irrigation or sprinkler systems are functioning the way they should.
Preventative Storm Maintenance
Hurricane season in Florida officially begins in June and ends in November, but tropical weather and dramatic storms can happen in the spring and winter as well. Make sure your property is prepared. Consider installing hurricane shutters or high impact windows. When a storm is projected to deliver a lot of rain and wind, make sure your tenants understand the importance of bringing in outdoor furniture. Have an emergency plan in place and check on your insurance policies once a year.
The preventative steps you take before a hurricane or tropical storm hits will determine how quickly and completely you are able to recover from it.
In addition to these important preventative maintenance checklist items, think about pest control, landscaping, and the damage that environmental factors can do. All the sunlight on your exterior paint, for example, can cause it to fade more frequently. When you pay attention to these things early and regularly, you can avoid larger and more expensive issues.
We know that preventative maintenance isn’t fun. Think of it as additional insurance; you might not need the protection, but the extra peace of mind is more than worth it.
We’re good at protecting the condition and value of your home with smart, cost-effective, and preventative maintenance. For more information, please contact us at Oceans Luxury Realty.
