Managing an apartment building and taking care of dozens of units at the same time is an incredibly time consuming and laborious process. It can be very stressful as you are constantly dealing with residents and vendors. It takes a lot of mental energy and effort to coordinate and schedule all the repair and maintenance projects that are required to ensure that your apartment building is always in top shape. And we haven’t even gotten to the other parts of the building and the common areas.
Depending on the size of the apartment building that you are managing there are a lot of things that are either always in need of cleaning or maintenance. Carpets, floors, bathrooms, and hallways are just too many things to keep track of as a property manager. And add to this the additional maintenance tasks that the pandemic has brought with it. It really can become overwhelming at times. In this article, we are going to give you a guide that you can follow to make your life a whole lot easier.
We are also going to share with you some tips regarding COVID-19.
Let’s begin.
We’ve divided the guide into 5 major parts. Each part is going to give you some insight into the best ways to deal with a certain aspect of cleaning and maintenance.
RECURRING CLEANING
One thing that you are going to have to accept as a property manager is, there are some areas that are always going to be in need of cleaning. So, be vigilant about areas that are in common use, and don’t skip on regular cleaning for these areas. You don’t want them to get filthy as it is only going to make the cleaning job harder. It is crucial that you invest in recurring cleaning services for areas that are in common use. These common use areas include hallways, lounging areas, elevators, etc. These areas get more foot traffic than any other part of the building and with foot traffic comes dirt. If they are not regularly cleaned, then this dirt is going to accumulate over time and as more time passes cleaning them is going to become harder. So, these areas are going to need a good regular scrub down. The best way to go about it is to have a service that provides you a weekly or daily cleaning schedule. This way you will not have to worry about having these areas cleaned, you will know that they are getting the attention that they should.
FLOORS AND CARPETS
Floors are going to get dirty; carpets are going to get filthy over time and with regular use. That is just how it is. It is a fact of property management that you are going to have to accept. It is your job to make sure that these floors and carpets don’t stay dirty. If you leave them uncleaned for too long you are going to have to end up replacing the carpets as they will no longer be saved by cleaning. This is going to end up costing you more long term. The same goes for floors they need to be waxed regularly. These two things are perhaps the most important when it comes to making a strong first impression. Make sure that you hire professionals who can help you get rid of any stains on the floors and can vacuum the carpets. It can become very hard to find good tenants if your carpets and floors are not clean and well maintained. It is best to hire professionals who can take care of these things for you on a weekly or daily basis.
WINDOW CLEANING
While it may be the responsibility of your tenants to keep the inside of the windows clean, it is your responsibility to maintain the outside. Windows are going to have to bear the effect of the weather and as seasons change windows can start to get dirty. You have to remember here that windows are an important part of the face of your apartment building. Again, going back to the need of making a good impression. You are not going to woo any new tenants with these dirty windows. Make sure that you get them professionally cleaned at least two times a year.
SOFTWARE
If we are being honest then there are just too many things that need to be taken care of on a regular basis and it is easy to lose track of some of them. This is why having a good management software for maintenance is a great idea. This way you will never end up missing out on something. It is the best way to make your job easier. So, try to invest in a good management software.
COVID-19 Tips
The pandemic has to some extent changed the way a lot of things get done. And property management is no exception. There are health and safety concerns attached to COVID-19 that need to be taken into account. Here are a few tips to help you manage your property better during this time:
- Make safety your primary concern. Try to communicate with your tenants as often as possible while following social distancing rules and wearing a mask. Let them know what safety measures you have taken to make sure that they are safe.
- Give more weight to emergency repairs and postpone non-essential repairs. This is the best way to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus. If something is ornamental in nature then it can wait, only try to get crucial systems repaired on a priority basis.
- If something can be handled over the phone or online, then do it that way. It is a safer and better way to do things during the pandemic.
Finding the right cleaning vendor that understands your needs and goes that extra mile to ensure that you get the service that you are happy with is a rare find these days. If you are looking for a reliable cleaning vendor that offers you experienced staff, high quality, exceptional customer service and that little bit of extra care that makes everything worthwhile, check us out for the best commercial cleaning services in Chicago, IL and the surrounding suburbs.
We hope that this article helps you manage your property better and stay safe during this pandemic. Best of luck!