Owning a Chula Vista rental property means being available for every maintenance and repair need, whether it’s a routine appliance fix or a plumbing disaster in the middle of the night. Unless you’re a professional vendor or contractor yourself, you’ll need to know who to call when something goes wrong at your investment home.
Finding great maintenance vendors isn’t always easy. Working with a professional Chula Vista property management team can help; we have relationships in place with excellent local repair people, and they provide high quality work at cost-effective prices. If you’re managing on your own, make sure you have relationships in place with plumbers, electricians, landscapers, cleaners, roofers, HVAC technicians, and other professionals.
We have a few ideas that can help you find and screen vendors who will take care of your rental property when it needs maintenance.
Avoid Liability: Work with Licensed and Insured Professionals
It’s tempting to ask your brother to fix a sink or to call a freelance painter who you met at the hardware store when you need your home re-painted. It might seem like you’re saving money, but it opens you up to a lot of liability and risk. It can end up being more expensive than you imagine.
We recommend that you only hire licensed and insured professionals. It ensures a high standard of workmanship, and it allows you to hold your vendors accountable for the repairs they make. Most importantly, it protects you against liability.
Consider this scenario: an uninsured worker is on a ladder repairing your roof and gets electrocuted by a nearby wire. Who is held responsible for medical bills, loss of income, and other damages? Quite possibly, you’ll be responsible. There will be a lawsuit, and you’ll suddenly realize that paying a professional roofer would have been much better for everyone. Don’t take chances. Ask to see a vendor’s proof of licensure and worker’s compensation insurance.
Screening Chula Vista Maintenance Workers
You screen your tenants carefully because you want to protect your property. This is the same reason to screen your vendors and contractors. These professionals represent you when they’re dealing with your tenants, so if they’re rude or dangerous or unpleasant, your tenants will have an unfavorable impression of how you handle maintenance and repairs.
Talk to current and former customers and investigate their online reviews. Visit their website and see if they have any guarantees. Take your time getting to know your potential vendors and make sure you and your property will be a priority for them, whether you have a routine repair or an emergency.
Consider Professional Chula Vista Property Management
Working with a professional Chula Vista property management company comes with a number of benefits, including the access to high quality vendors. Management companies have a lot of advantages over individual landlords. We provide a larger volume of business to vendors and contractors, so we can usually negotiate lower rates, which we pass onto our owners. We also know that our needs come first; when we need a plumber or an electrician or a cleaner or a landscaper, we don’t have to wait in line or compete with other customers for their time. We work with vendors who are responsive, great at what they do, and fairly priced. We do all the license and insurance checking for you.
If you have any questions about finding a great vendor or you’d like to learn more about our management services, please contact us at Encore Realty. We’d love to tell you more about how we protect your investment.
