Blog Post

Preventative Maintenance: Landlord’s Guide to Avoid Costly Emergency Repairs for Your Winton Rental Property

May 7, 2021
Preventative Maintenance Landlord’s Guide to Avoid Costly Emergency Repairs for Your Winton Rental Property

Preventative maintenance isn’t always as attention-grabbing as emergency maintenance. When a water heater explodes at your rental property in the middle of the night, there’s a flurry of activity and an immediate response. When a fire breaks out, your tenant’s safety is your first concern and then you’re going to think about quickly stopping the spread of the fire and saving your investment home. 


If you want to avoid these costly and stressful emergency issues, make preventative maintenance a priority. We know that by keeping up with the systems and functions of your home, we can protect the condition of your home and keep both routine and emergency maintenance costs lower and less frequent. 


Here are some of the things we think you need to consider when you’re establishing a preventative maintenance plan.


Service and Inspect your HVAC System


Your heating and cooling units are going to be some of the most expensive systems in your Winton rental property. Prevent surprise repairs and expensive catastrophes with a preventative maintenance schedule. When you contract with an HVAC company to have them conduct an annual inspection, you can be sure your heating and cooling systems are working properly. This will cut down on repair requests and help you optimize the functionality of your furnace and air conditioning units. 


With an annual service contract, you’ll have an HVAC technician inspecting and servicing your system once or twice a year. Not only does this save you money and headaches in the long term, well-maintained HVAC systems also operate more efficiently. You’ll get a longer lifespan out of those units.


Another good reason to take care of preventative HVAC maintenance is that an annual contract with a company usually means you’ll get discounts when something breaks or needs attention outside of their routine visits. 


Pay Attention to Plumbing in Winton Rental Homes


Water damage is expensive to repair and remediate. You should be hyper-vigilant about leaks and water intrusion at your rental home. Every time you’re in the property, take a few minutes to check for moisture and leaks. Look under sinks and behind toilets. Check the roof for signs of deterioration. Make sure your irrigation or sprinkler systems aren’t backed up, leaking, or rusting. Drain the water heater every year or two to prevent leaks. 


If a tenant reports that a faucet is dripping or a toilet is running, make those repairs a priority. Water can damage a home quickly, and if it’s left unchecked, it can create situations where mold and rot can develop. This will only add to your maintenance bill. 


Put Together a Team of Vendors and Contractors 


You can’t have a good preventative maintenance plan without a great team of vendors. Create a list of licensed and insured vendors and contractors who are committed to caring for your investment property. If there’s an emergency in the middle of the night, you don’t want to be looking for a plumber. You want to have someone reliable and responsive who will answer your call. 


Develop relationships with professionals before you need them, and listen to their advice and recommendations when it comes to caring for your property. Make sure all of the vendors you work with are licensed and insured to prevent risk and liability. 


Preventative Maintenance: Landlord’s Guide to Avoid Costly Emergency Repairs for Your Winton Rental Property

We think working with a professional Winton property management company can also help you embrace preventative maintenance. If you’d like some help, we’re here for you and your property. Contact us at Wisdom Property Management & Realty, Inc. 

Share this post

Essential Insurance Policies for California Landlords: Protecting Investments in Merced
By Ashley Stayner March 20, 2025
Let’s talk about some of the essential insurance coverage you’ll need to protect your Merced rental property.
Demographic Shifts in California: Adapting Rental Strategies - Article Banner
By Ashley Stayner February 20, 2025
Discover how demographic shifts in Merced are reshaping the rental market. Learn key investment strategies to maximize ROI in this evolving real estate landscape.
Leveraging Social Media to Market Rental Properties in California: Tips for Merced Landlords
By Ashley Stayner January 16, 2025
It is time to get social, and we’re going to insist you become an influencer even if you don’t naturally gravitate towards the likes of Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Leveraging social media to market rental properties in Merced and throughout California is essential. You gain a lot more traction on social sites than you do by simply posting a listing on Zillow or HotPads. All of your potential renters are on social media, and you should be there too. Let’s talk about some tips, assuming you’re not already going viral on the ‘gram. Part One: Put Together Your Profile A successful social media strategy starts with a profile that will attract the kind of attention you want. If you’re already a presence on social media, that’s great. If you’re just getting started to better market your rental home , be intentional about how you present yourself. Your audience will likely be potential renters who will view your page and consider the homes you have to offer. If you’re posting homes for rent on your personal social media pages, you can easily include all of the people you already know in your network. However, you also want to make sure your personal page is professional. If you’re prone to angry political posts, you might alienate a lot of potential renters on the other side. Your social media presence, as a landlord, needs to be welcoming to everyone. Generally, we recommend that you establish a separate profile for the work you plan to do sharing your rentals. This will help narrow your social media postings on that particular profile to the rental property you’re marketing or related topics. Visitors won’t get confused, and they won’t have to scroll past photos of your pets and vacations to find the homes you offer for rent. Before you start posting about your available rental properties, you’ll want to make sure you have all of the pertinent information on your profile. There has to be updated contact information, for example. You’ll also want a credible profile photo. Maybe it’s a snapshot of the property you’re trying to rent. It could be a picture of the neighborhood or even a photo of the state or region you’re in. A picture of yourself is also fine, as long as it’s professional. Reaching the Right Social Media Audiences When we’re talking about social media marketing, it’s important to understand that the audience is everything. Social spaces are crowded, and you want to reach the right people. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 72 percent of Americans use social media daily. By using hashtags, joining local or industry-specific groups, and following popular sites and spots throughout Merced, you’ll focus on the people who are looking for a new rental home or on the people who know people who are looking for a new rental home. Create a Social Media-Friendly Listing What will get the most attention on social media sites? Photos and videos. These will be your most important tools when we talk about posting your rental listing on social media sites. This is the type of content that gets attention. It gets likes. It gets shares. It gets comments. All of those things will expand your audience and increase your reach. Although text plays an essential role in social media, and you’ll use it to share details such as: Rental amount Move-in ready dates Rental qualifications Security deposit amounts Images and videos are especially crucial. You’ll want to upload clear and crisp photos so that they render well on mobile devices. You’ll want short, engaging videos that showcase your property and provide people with a glimpse of how things look. If you want to be more impactful with how you market Merced homes for rent on social media, focus on the property’s layout, show real-time room sizes, give viewers a close-up of amenities , and an idea of the property’s location. When you have special features to show off, such as walk-in pantries, garden tubs, smart home technology like video doorbells, and fenced backyards, video is a great way to show those things off while giving viewers an idea of what it’s like to actually be there. Plenty of social media platforms are built for video; you can use Instagram reels, Facebook and Instagram live videos, Snapchat story updates, and of course YouTube. Hashtags are Essential Please tell us you know what a hashtag is. They’re helpful when you’re posting because they get the attention of your target audience. Using hashtags on your posts makes them more accessible because when people search for a particular hashtag, your post will be there, ready for them to view. Use specific hashtags that identify your location, the type of property, or the neighborhood name. Try #Mercedrentals, #Mercedhomeforrent, #Mercedapartment, and similar hashtags to get attention and focus on your desired audience. Promote Your Merced Rental Listing
Show More
Share by: