When you have an income property, you’re faced with the decision of handling maintenance yourself or hiring a property manager to handle maintenance for you. Although some property owners think they can save time and money by handling maintenance themselves, the opposite is often true.
Is a property manager the right choice for your rental property’s maintenance needs? Here’s what you need to know when weighing the benefits of working with a property manager vs. DIY maintenance for your income property in the nation’s capital.
Property Managers Are Local
Local property managers have the advantage of being close to your income property. As such, they can quickly be on-site to handle any issues. If your rental property is in another town or across state lines, this can be a huge advantage.
In addition, a local property management company can handle things when you are out of town, otherwise preoccupied, or even in the middle of the night when there’s an emergency, saving you the hassle of having to deal with every maintenance issue that crops up.
You can relax knowing your rental property is taken care of while you focus on the things that are most important to you, saving time and stress.
Save Time Finding the Right Contractors
Should you need a contractor for a repair job for your income property, a property manager can typically find a professional faster and for less money than you would be able to.
Local and established property management companies know people in the area they can call to get the work done, especially if it’s an emergency repair and you can’t find anyone after-hours. In addition, property managers can often save you money from hiring contractors that may overcharge for their services, especially emergency fixes.
When your hire a property manager, you won’t have to worry about being the middle man and searching for, hiring, and paying a contractor—your property management company has it covered.
Keep Your Rental Property Maintained
Although it’s tempting to think you can maintain and repair everything at your income property yourself, chances are, unless you are a licensed contractor or experienced handyman, much will be left to the professionals.
Instead of taking on all the maintenance yourself—and potentially paying more or even causing a bigger problem than existed in the first place—let a property manager handle the work. They can cost-effectively keep your property up to code, well-maintained, and beautiful to keep your tenants happy and protect your reputation.
Without a property manager to maintain your unit, you may not be able to successfully keep up with maintenance tasks, which can lead to more problems with your tenants or even trouble filling vacancies.
Have You Tried DIY Property Maintenance?
If you’re a rental property owner in DC that’s tried DIY maintenance and is tired of the hassle, contact FAS Management at (202) 337-5080. Our team can handle your property maintenance and management needs so you can stress less, protect your investment, and save valuable time and money when it comes to your income property.
