Empty apartment turnover maintenance

Preparing for Tenant Turnover: What Major Maintenance Items Should Be on Your Checklist?

Tenant turnover is a year-round problem for property managers and landlords. But with the warmer weather on the horizon, turnover rates will be on the rise. According to the National Apartment Association, turnover expenses have the potential to reach up to $162,000 or more annually, depending on the property’s location and turnover rate. 

With that being said, here are 3 of the top turnover maintenance tips to help you manage this busy season more effectively and save money in the process.

Begin the process before your current tenant moves out

As long as your resident has given you written notice of their intent to vacate, you can start the turnover process by scheduling a pre-inspection at any time before the current tenant moves out. During this time, you’ll be able to assess the condition of the flooring, the blinds, the appliances and any other big-ticket items that you might need to order in advance. 

Speak with your vendors about availability of materialsa kitchen with with stainless steel fridge, black stove and a black over the range microwave. White cabinets and black countertops. Kitchen receiving maintenance and being cleared.

Because you were smart and started the turnover process early, you now have the opportunity to make sure that your vendors have what you need in stock, or place your order for the materials so that you receive them in a timely manner. 

Additionally, your maintenance team will be able to prepare for whatever make-ready responsibilities they will be handling after the tenant is gone. These can include, but are not limited to, replacing window screens, air vents, appliance upkeep and cleaning. 

Prepare for both major and minor renovations, if necessary

If during your pre-inspection you realize the unit is overdue for a light remodel, you will be able to assess what items need replacing. Simple renovations such as new light fixtures, additional electrical outlets, or new paint can potentially generate a higher rent and depending on the skills your maintenance team possesses, can be done by them for a relatively low cost.

However, if you or the property owner have been going through the process of completely updating units and this one needs a major remodel, this is the time to request contractor bids and estimate the costs. Doing this before the current resident is gone will help you when looking at your turnover budget and you will be able to then determine an accurate timeline for when the unit can be rent-ready.

Empty rooms with clean wood floors a fireplace receiving maintenance. Room has white walls and a white ceiling fan with three lights turned on. Empty room maintenance managing tenant vacancy

Fortunately for you, Classic Construction handles everything from general maintenance to full remodels to large insurance claims. If you find your maintenance staff overwhelmed with their turnover responsibilities, give us a call or contact us today for a free estimate!

Pest control contractor working in the flat. Man using pesticide under white sofa to exterminate large black cockroaches. Man is using white suit, glasses and face mask to protect himself.

Pest Prevention and the Benefits to Your Home

Pest control contractor working in the flat. Man using pesticide under white sofa to exterminate large black cockroaches. Man is using white suit, glasses and face mask to protect himself. Pests are called “pests” because they are not only irritating, but they also cause mayhem wherever they are found. So it can be almost disastrous when they take up residence in your home. With the rain we’ve been getting here in North Texas, we would all be wise to seek out some pest prevention methods that we could put into play in order to protect our homes. Here are just a few we found from the Community Associations Institute’s Spring 2018 magazine

And when it comes to pests, our homes need protection. We’ve discussed the damage termites can do to your home in a previous post. Another silent terrorist you want to be aware of is the carpenter ant. 

Why are they called carpenter ants?black carpenter ants crawling on brown tree trunk

Because similar to the way termites eat wood, carpenter ants like to do their dirty work in wood. Both of these pests live and die by destroying the wood in your home. While the destruction caused by carpenter ants is not as severe as that caused by termites, it has the potential to grow into a devastating amount of damage over time. 

As the ant colony grows, it will continue to expand into other wooden elements of your home including framing, support beams, floor joists, posts, ceiling joists, siding and wall studs. Carpenter ants will typically only nest in wood softened by moisture, so pay particular attention to their potential points of entry such as your attic vents, foundations, cracks, electric wires, and plumbing pipes. 

Other types of pests to protect your home against are rodents.

These critters are already unsavory houseguests due to the diseases they can carry, but their indiscriminatory tastes will have you trying to kick them out before dinner once they’ve made their way into your home. Squirrels typically will chew their way through roofing or siding near roofs and under eaves, making their way into your attic. Mice and rats usually eat their way into your home on the ground level.

When I say they have indiscriminatory tastes, I mean they will eat or chew through just about anything! This poses an obvious threat to the belongings in your attic or garage, but more than this is at stake. 

Rodents will cause damage to your home in a myriad of ways through gnawing, nest-building and defecation. They will chew on just about anything that they deem necessary to build their nests. They will chew up wood to create shavings for the rugs. Insulation isn’t safe either as they will burrow into it to create their beds and sofas. They will even chew through wiring around electrical outlets and appliances, thereby installing their very own entertainment room!

Aside from the wood shavings, the damage caused to your home by rodents chewing through insulation and electrical wiring puts your home at risk of catching on fire. Because of this, it’s important to take steps to “pest-proof” your home as best you can. 

Eliminate possible food sources

Keep food in thick plastic or metal containers with tight lids

Secure garbage in similar containers with tight lids

Keep outside cooking areas clean

Clean up spilled food right away and wash dishes and cooking utensils soon after use

Keep compost bins away from your home

Keep pet or other animal food stored in thick plastic or metal containers with airtight lids

Eliminate excess moisture

Fix up dripping taps and leaking pipes

Make sure your gutters’ down spout deposits water at least a couple of feet from your foundation

Fill or remove any indented areas of your lawn close to your home so that they won’t hold standing water

Seal all the holes and gaps inside and around your home

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, mice can squeeze through a hole the size of nickel and rats can squeeze through a hole the size of half dollar. And of course, ants enter through holes we might not be able to see. Keeping ants out can be trickier, but it’s not impossible if you follow the steps below.

Seal interior holes:

Inside, under and behind kitchen cabinets, refrigerators and stoves

Inside closets near the floor corners

Around the fireplace, doors and windows

Around the pipes under sinks, washing machines, hot water heater and furnace

Inside the attic, basement or crawl space

Between the floor and wall juncture

Seal exterior holes:

In the roof among the rafters, gables and eaves

Around windows and doors

Around the foundation

At attic vents and the crawl space

Under doors

Around holes for electrical, plumbing, cable and gas lines

While we here at Classic Construction won’t come clean your dishes for you, we can provide you with the best sealant work in DFW. If you need help making sure you catch all the nooks and crannies that need new caulking, contact us for a free estimate today. 

Traces of termites eat wood, Timber beam of door damaged by termite which eat for a long time, The wood home with termites damage in kitchen.

Termite Tip & Tricks: How to asses and prevent termite damage to your home 

Spring is often considered a beautiful season as it is the time of year when nature comes back to life after hibernating during the winter months. We see new flowers, new baby animals and lots of new growth all around us. While all this newness can be exciting, the ugly truth is that spring also brings to life termites and other pests we’d rather not see again so soon.

Termites specifically are nasty pests to deal with because they do most of their dirty work out of view and the damage can be catastrophic to your home. According to the National Pest Management Association, termites alone cause up to $5 billion dollars in damage in the U.S. each year!

And it’s not just cosmetic damage; they eat into the very structure of your home. It’s a well-known fact that termites eat wood and many of the foundational elements of your home are made from wood. This includes support beams, floor joists, posts, ceiling joists and wall studs. In addition to their regular fare, termites also enjoy the occasional gourmet meal of plaster, insulation and metal siding. 

Visible signs of termite damage include:Traces of termites eat wood, Timber beam of door damaged by termite which eat for a long time, The wood home with termites damage in kitchen.

  • Discolored or drooping drywall
  • Peeling paint that resembles water damage
  • Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
  • Small, pinpoint holes in drywall
  • Buckling wooden or laminate floorboards
  • Tiles loosening from the added moisture termites can introduce to your floor
  • Excessively squeaky floorboards
  • Crumbling, damaged wood
  • Stuck windows or doors
  • Maze-like patterns in furniture, floorboards or walls
  • Mound of drywood termite pellets, often resembling small piles of salt and pepper
  • Piles of wings left behind after swarms, often resembling fish scales
  • Mud tubes climbing the foundation of your home
  • Flying termite swarms anywhere on your property

If you’re seeing any signs of termite damage to your property, you should definitely call a professional termite company for an inspection because the damage is probably already worse than you think. Termites can live in your home’s foundational elements for a long time before being detected, which means these unseen items have probably already taken on worse damage than those you can see.

A couple of ways to prevent termites from entering your home during the pre-construction phase include pouring a concrete foundation and using pressure-treated wood for framing, etc. These are common in most new homes in the DFW area these days. 

But if you are trying to prevent termites from entering your lived-in home, the number one thing you can do is remove all landscaping and soil from around your home’s foundation and siding. Create a 4-inch barrier between mulch and your home. Keep plants at least a few feet away from siding and windows. Make sure the soil around your foundation is at least 6 inches lower than the siding. All these items retain moisture and moisture attracts termites and their very large families. 

If you have determined that your home already has termites and termite damage, the first thing you should do is make sure those buggers are dead and gone. Consult with a termite specialist to determine the best way to remove these nuisances from your property.

Then, determine which parts of your home are majorly damaged and which parts are only cosmetically damaged. Most cosmetic damages can be handled with some weekend DIY projects. These include sheetrock/drywall repairs, painting, and floor covering replacement (after your foundation and framing have been repaired, if necessary).

Man in pest control equipment with pesticide in left arm spraying pesticide with ergo grip For major repairs, you will need to look into hiring a general contractor. It is not recommended that you try to repair any of the damaged foundational elements of your home mentioned above unless you are a licensed contractor yourself. This is because you might need a more in-depth analysis of the damage in order to accurately assess what needs repair vs what needs replacing. Depending on the age of your home, you might also have code upgrades that might need to be made and a GC can help identify these.

two GAF Certified quality roofing contractors on the roof taken from arial view of the roof

What is a roof inspection and why should I get one?

According to the Community Association Institution, “having your roof inspected is the single most important thing you can do to ensure its overall lifespan.” I know the roofs over our heads aren’t top of mind most days, but it’s important that we make sure they can withstand the storms that are potentially headed our way this spring.

The purpose of roof inspections is to find any problems as well as gauge the remaining life of the roof. As a roof can be one of a homeowner’s or HOA’s more costly expenses, it’s well worth the minimal price of an inspection to make sure no major damage has accrued over the years.

House undergoing roof inspectionWhile a thorough roof inspection is something that should be left to a professional roofing contractor, you as the homeowner or property manager can perform a basic inspection. This can be done from the ground with binoculars as you circle the property, or from the top of a ladder set against the roof. Slowly circle the property and search for obvious signs of damage: missing shingles, sagging near ridges, or rusty metal where the house meets the roof.

For safety reasons, we do not recommend climbing up on the roof to perform the inspection unless you are a professional. We also don’t recommend this because a professional contractor will be able to notice some of the more subtle damages that can be acquired during the lifetime of the roof.

These subtle damages include:

  • Loose shingles
  • Nail pops
  • Improper air conditioning installation
  • Loose, missing or corroded flashing
  • Proper ventilation to allow roof to breath
  • Depressions near vent pipes, clogged drains or separations in flashing that cause water to pool in ridges

An inspection report from a qualified roofer should let you know how much longer you can keep your current roof or if it needs serious repairs. If you’re on a budget and looking for an inspection and estimate for repairs, call Classic Construction today at 972-437-0909 or contact us through our website. We offer free estimates!