Most DC landlords have a 9 to 5 job that keeps them busy during the week because they aren't able to depend on rental payments to make ends meet. This means that their weekends are more often than not spent at their Washington, DC rental properties dealing with several different issues.
Continue reading to learn how landlords are wasting away their weekends and what they can do to get a break.
Emergent Repairs
The immediate issues that cannot wait another moment are inevitable. As a landlord, your weekends may be spent fixing issues with overflowing toilets and burst water pipes at your rental property. These issues are going to happen regardless of how well your property is maintained.
Routine Maintenance
When your schedule for the week is crammed full with work, spending time with your family, and maintaining sanity in your home, the last thing on your mind is making those repairs at your rental property. So, the weekend comes along and you are stuck spending the days fixing leaky faucets, priming the HVAC system for the changing seasons, and replacing broken showerheads.
Tenant Safety
It's your duty to keep your tenants safe.
If your tenants don't feel safe following an incident with another tenant or a problem in the neighborhood, you might get calls on the weekend where you have to go install a deadbolt or handle an argument that got out of control. You might have to spend time mediating fights and evicting troublesome tenants.
It's possible that, as a DC landlord, you get a call when an appliance isn't working right or there is a gas leak in the rental. Depending on the terms of your lease, it might fall on you to take care of these problems.
Noise Complaints
The weekend usually brings about noise complaints because that's when most people are home for a few days without work interruptions. However, not everyone has the luxury of time off during the weekends. If you own a multi-family property rental, you may be getting calls where loud music or the sounds of a get-together are interrupting another tenant's peace and quiet.
What Can Landlords Do About It?
There are a few things that you can do as a landlord to maintain your sanity on the weekends, including:
- Establishing ground rules to keep fighting, property damage, etc to a minimum
- Set certain hours where tenants can contact you
- Invest in auto-response emails or a voicemail where tenants can voice non-emergent concerns
If you find that you've done this and it just isn't working, you might consider hiring a property manager to handle these things for you. A property manager can be the middle man between you and your tenants so that the only thing that you have to worry about on the weekend is relaxation.
Hire a Property Manager
Managing your rental properties can be a full-time job. If you are already working a full-time job, things can get hectic. With a Washington, DC property manager on your payroll, landlords can save money and stress less about their rental properties.
Contact Homeriver Group Washington DC today to get started.
