Top Property Maintenance Tips for Landlords: Keeping Costs Low
As a landlord, property maintenance is one of your biggest ongoing responsibilities. While it's essential to keep your property in top condition to retain tenants and maintain its value, effective property maintenance doesn’t have to be expensive. By adopting a proactive and strategic approach, you can reduce costs, avoid expensive emergency repairs, and ensure the longevity of your property. In this blog, we’ll share the top property maintenance tips for landlords that can help keep your costs low while protecting your investment.
1. Prioritise Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is key to avoiding costly repairs down the line. By addressing minor issues before they become major problems, you can save money and time. Regular maintenance also helps improve tenant satisfaction, which can lead to better retention.
Why It Matters:
Avoid Emergency Costs: Preventative maintenance is far cheaper than handling an emergency repair. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), emergency repairs can cost as much as 2 to 5 times more than planned maintenance.
Extend the Life of Appliances and Systems: Regular checks on appliances, plumbing, and HVAC systems can significantly extend their lifespan, ultimately saving you money on replacements.
Recommended Actions:
Schedule routine inspections of key systems like heating, plumbing, and electrical every 6–12 months.
Regularly check appliances for wear and tear and replace them when necessary before they break down.
Clean gutters and downspouts to prevent water damage.
2. Use Energy-Efficient Upgrades
Energy-efficient upgrades not only lower your tenants' utility bills but also decrease the chances of costly repairs, all while making your property more attractive. Over time, these upgrades can also justify a rent increase.
Why It Matters:
Lower Energy Costs: According to The Energy Saving Trust, energy-efficient homes can save tenants an average of £300 per year on energy bills, making your property more desirable.
Attracting Tenants: Many renters now look for homes with energy-saving features, such as double glazing, smart thermostats, and LED lighting.
Recommended Actions:
Install energy-efficient lighting like LED bulbs.
Replace old boilers with energy-efficient models.
Install double glazing to improve insulation.
Consider adding solar panels if your property allows for it.
3. Keep on Top of Minor Repairs
Small, seemingly insignificant repairs can quickly snowball into larger, more expensive problems if left unchecked. For instance, a small leak can cause severe water damage if not addressed promptly.
Why It Matters:
Prevent Escalation of Issues: Addressing minor issues, such as a dripping tap or a cracked tile, immediately can save you from bigger problems like flooding or mould growth.
Lower Maintenance Costs: The earlier you catch a problem, the less costly it will be to fix. A Harvard Business Review study shows that the cost of repairing a problem increases exponentially the longer it goes unaddressed.
Recommended Actions:
Regularly inspect areas like plumbing, doors, windows, and roof for potential issues.
Promptly repair cracks, leaks, and stains.
Replace worn-out seals or weather stripping to prevent energy loss.
4. Utilise Professional Maintenance Services Wisely
It’s important to build relationships with reliable contractors and tradespeople to ensure that you’re not overpaying for services. However, you should also be strategic in how you use professional services to keep costs low.
Why It Matters:
Avoid DIY Mistakes: Hiring a professional can prevent costly mistakes that could end up being more expensive in the long run. According to Build UK, DIY errors often result in a 50-100% markup on costs to correct them.
Negotiate Bulk Discounts: Some contractors may offer discounts if you use them for multiple jobs or refer them to other landlords.
Recommended Actions:
Have a list of trusted professionals for plumbing, electrical work, and other specialised jobs.
Get multiple quotes for larger jobs to ensure you’re getting a fair price.
Negotiate fixed-price contracts for routine maintenance services like lawn care or cleaning.
5. Implement Smart Technology for Maintenance Management
Using technology to track and manage property maintenance can help you stay on top of repairs and inspections, reducing the risk of neglecting important tasks. Smart home technology can also assist in reducing energy costs.
Why It Matters:
Simplify Scheduling: With smart maintenance management tools, you can automate tasks like scheduling inspections, tracking repair progress, and reminding tenants of maintenance obligations.
Save Time: These tools can save you time by providing real-time updates on maintenance tasks and alerting you to potential issues before they become critical.
Recommended Actions:
Use property management software to keep track of maintenance requests, inspections, and contractor appointments.
Install smart thermostats that alert tenants to energy inefficiencies.
Consider smart leak detectors to catch leaks early and prevent water damage.
6. Plan for Seasonal Maintenance
Certain times of the year require specific maintenance tasks to keep your property in top shape. By planning ahead for seasonal changes, you can prevent damage and unnecessary repair costs.
Why It Matters:
Seasonal Damage Prevention: Seasonal weather changes can lead to specific issues like frozen pipes in winter or overgrown gardens in summer. By addressing these proactively, you can avoid costly damages.
Avoid Downtime: Having a seasonal maintenance checklist helps ensure your property is ready for changes in weather and seasonal demands.
Recommended Actions:
In winter, insulate pipes, clean the chimney, and check the heating system.
In summer, service air conditioning units, maintain the garden, and check for pest issues.
In fall, clear gutters and prepare the roof for heavy rain or snow.
Conclusion:
Property maintenance is an essential part of being a successful landlord, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. By prioritising preventative maintenance, using energy-efficient upgrades, staying on top of minor repairs, and strategically using professional services, you can keep costs low while ensuring your property remains attractive and in excellent condition for tenants. In addition, leveraging smart technology and planning for seasonal maintenance can help you save time and avoid expensive repairs in the future.
Need help managing your property and keeping maintenance costs under control? Contact Beechill today to find out how our expert property management services can support you.
References:
National Association of Realtors (NAR), 2021. The Benefits of Preventative Maintenance for Property Owners. [online] Available at: https://www.nar.realtor/ [Accessed 9 April 2025].
The Energy Saving Trust, 2020. Energy Saving Tips for Homes. [online] Available at: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/ [Accessed 9 April 2025].
Harvard Business Review, 2019. Why Small Problems Become Big Problems in Property Management. [online] Available at: https://hbr.org/ [Accessed 9 April 2025].
Build UK, 2020. The Real Costs of DIY Mistakes in Property Maintenance. [online] Available at: https://www.builduk.org/ [Accessed 9 April 2025].