Emergency maintenance is inevitable when you own rental properties. As rental properties age, plumbing, electrical or mechanical systems may break down and need to be repaired or replaced.

Sadly, in today's world, it's not uncommon for some renters to call their landlords about what they think is an 'emergency' maintenance situation when in reality, their maintenance request is technically 'routine maintenance.'

Real emergency maintenance situations must be resolved quickly by the property manager or landlord because failing to handle true maintenance emergencies can be very costly.

The big question is: what's the difference between a maintenance emergency and a non-emergency maintenance situation?

This article will answer this question and provide you with tips on handling different types of maintenance emergencies.
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What Is A True Emergency Maintenance Situation?

Although emergency maintenance can often be confused with non-emergency maintenance situations, the reality is that a proper maintenance emergency is anything that includes the following:

• Hot water going out
• Fire (tenant must call 911 first)
• Flooding
• Natural disaster
• Broken gas line (tenant should leave the property immediately then notify)

Even though these are some of the most common examples of maintenance emergencies, the reality is that there are also location-specific maintenance emergencies.

What's an example of a 'location specific' emergency maintenance situation? If you own rental properties in Las Vegas or Phoenix, you know that air conditioning is essential in these cities, especially during the summer months.

Suppose your tenant's A/C goes during the middle of summer in Las Vegas or Phoenix. In that case, this is an excellent example of an emergency maintenance situation because air conditioning is essential in those cities. Because the service is considered essential, you are legally obligated to fix it within a set time frame. It's something that tenants need to survive the hot weather in either state.
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Example Of A Non-Emergency Maintenance Situation

Now that we've explained emergency maintenance situations, let's talk about examples of non-emergency maintenance situations.

• Tripped Circuit Breaker
• Single stove burners not heating up
• A lightbulb in the rental property needs replacing

In situations where there's a genuine maintenance need, but it's a non-emergency, the tenant should submit a formal maintenance request.  

When it comes to true maintenance emergencies, tenants should know the landlord's process for dealing with maintenance emergencies to resolve those situations immediately.
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Contact GoldenWest Management

At GoldenWest Management, we know that maintenance takes time, especially when landlords manage their rental properties themselves.

If you're tired of DIY property management or searching for a better property management team, contact us today by calling (866) 545-5303 or click here to connect with us online.

Be sure to check out our previous blog post too!