Thoughts on Maintenance  by Dick Dohack

Much of the business of property management is maintenance.  With the onset of summer it is time to be thinking air conditioning.

Air conditioners in Florida get a workout and are necessity more than a luxury.  When a tenant says the A/C is out, we immediately call for repairs.  There is no other choice.  For many of our clients, A/C service calls are not an issue, because they have maintenance contracts that cover parts and labor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  These contracts are available through a local contractor and cover not only the air conditioner but all appliances.  The equipment must be reasonably new and in operating condition but in most cases the cost is around $30.00 per month.  Since it is not at all uncommon to see a single repair bill of $300 to $500 I see these contracts as very inexpensive insurance.  As part of the service contract, the company services the unit twice a year.  These service calls also help to ensure new air filters are being used to prolong the life expectancy of your system.  If you think this is right for you please contact me at dick@gulfpointeproperties.com, and I will put you in touch with the contractor directly.

This brings up another good point.  We have always maintained as our business plan to give you the best possible service without up-charging you, the client, for maintenance.  Many management companies will charge an additional fee to the owner for managing repairs.  At Gulf Pointe Properties, our philosophy is much different.  We work hard to find the best and most reasonable contractors who respond to our needs and work hard to keep costs low.  We are acutely aware that every dollar spent on maintenance is one less dollar return.  I encourage you to log in to your portal and review our work.  We log everything that takes place so that you are never left guessing.  I speak with the tenants to see if problems can be remedied over the phone and to ensure that I understand the issue before sending someone out.

My conviction is to treat every property as if it were my own.  As always, if you have any maintenance related questions, please feel free to reach out.