How to Maintain an Apartment Community

There are numerous things that you would need to consider when operating an apartment community. One of the things that is often overlooked in favor of doing tickets on rented apartments is preparing any vacant apartments for the move-in date. To be certain, this is something that needs to be coordinated properly because it can cause problems if those apartments are not ready. After all, you're not only going to be losing revenue because of them sitting vacant, it can also cause security issues in some cases. Here are some things that you can do which will help to make getting apartments ready for the new tenants a smooth process.

First of all, it's very important for you to take a look at your existing maintenance staff and the facility management system that you are currently using. You will likely find that the bulk of the time that is necessary to run tickets on rented apartments is going to fill up the time of your full-time staff. That is why it is a good idea for you to delegate some of the duties to prepare vacant apartments to outside sources. As an example, you can hire a cleaning company that will come in and thoroughly clean the apartment before it is rented. Carpet cleaners, flooring specialists, and painters are also some other contractors that may be considered. You will likely have a list of these potential contractors on hand as they tend to stop by apartment communities to get work regularly.

After the apartment has been somewhat renovated and prepared for the new move-in, you also need to do a punch out list to ensure that everything is done, down to the smallest detail. This is something that can either be done by one of your maintenance staff or it can be hired out to a contractor as well. If the contractor knows what you need to have done in the apartments, they will become very effective at making sure that it is done before the move-in date. They will work closely with the maintenance staff to ensure that it has a smooth operation. You may also want to train them to check the inventory so that you can free up the maintenance staff as well. This will work well with the asset management software that you may be using to ensure that you do not run out of supplies when they are needed.

Of course, before the apartment is rented, you would want to go in and do a thorough examination on your own. This is going to be less necessary, however, as all of your outside sources learn to work in conjunction and know exactly what you need out of the vacant apartments. There are always going to be surprises, however, so make sure that you don't skip over this necessary step. It can help to alert you to certain items that may be needed, including larger items, such as problems with the air conditioning or the plumbing. The last thing that you would want to have happen is to have the new tenant unable to move into the apartment. Doing a final check will help you to avoid that problem.