Dear Maintenance Men:
Dear
Maintenance Men:
After reading your article in the November issue of my local apartment association magazine and now I have a question of my own for you. I have just finished an Apartment Training Program at my local apartment association. I really learned a lot. I do not have any experience yet as an apartment manager, but I am sure with my background and job experiences, I will make a good manager. But, I need maintenance skills. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can take classes in basic maintenance, including plumbing & electrical? I am very eager to become an apartment manager and I am willing to learn what it takes to get a job.
Thanks for your help.
Billy S.
Dear Billy:
Congratulations!! With your attitude and willingness to learn, you should be an asset to any owner or company that hires you. Good Luck!
Your best teacher is actual hands-on experience. But, to get a head start, there are many avenues to choose from.
1. Home Depot puts on a great maintenance program, their classes are free and they cover a wide variety of improvements and maintenance solutions. Their classes are hands on with an instructor from the trade.
2. There are many books, magazines and pamphlets that deal with home maintenance. Almost any hardware store will have a book rack that carries general knowledge books and specific subject books such as plumbing, electrical or carpentry etc.
3. Check with your apartment association, they will often have maintenance seminars on various subjects.
4. Turn to the World Wide Web for a number of “How To” website. They have an enormous amount of information. To get you started look up the following: www.naturalhandyman.com and www.handymanwire.com.
5. “Over the Shoulder Learning”. If you have an opportunity to observe a maintenance technician, plumber or other tradesperson, look over their shoulder and ask questions. Most vendors are proud of the work they do and are happy to explain technical details and will sometimes give you a quick “How To” lesson.
6. You may want to start building a toolbox. Simple tools at first. This will allow you to start getting hands-on experience. As you gain confidence and knowledge you can add to your toolbox which will allow you to do bigger and more complicated jobs.
7. A good on site manager with minimal or no maintenance skills should at least become familiar with the “Emergency Mechanics” of their buildings. For example: Location of the main water supply shutoff valves, main electrical shutoff switches, main and sub gas meter shutoff, irrigation system shutoff and sewer cleanout locations.
Dear Maintenance Men,
I own four units in Garden Grove.
The residents must think I own shares in a plumbing company.
I constantly have to call a plumber to power snake a kitchen drain line
in one of my lower units. The
scenario is: The upstairs unit uses the kitchen sink to wash dishes which then
makes the downstairs kitchen sink flood. I
have the plumber power snake the drain lines, but the problem comes back in
short order. Who is to blame:
the residents, the drain line or the plumber?
Sometimes the flooding is so bad it wets the living room carpet. This is getting very expensive … Please help.
Bob
Dear Bob:
You are not alone; this is an all too common problem
experienced by many owners and residents alike. It is very frustrating and
costly for all involved. The
resident will eventually get tired of being inconvenienced and inevitably move,
costing the owner more money.
We highly recommend a bit of preventive maintenance along
the lines of Hydro Jetting. This is a high-pressure water treatment for your
drainage system. The cost of hydro
jetting is between $125 to $250. This
is much cheaper than the alternative during an emergency, which could exceed
$300 or $400 dollars, or more.
In cases such as these, you need to have your plumber clearly identify the cause such as collapsed line, heavy grease builds up, foreign material stoppage such as toys, dishrags, S.O.S Pads or plastic bags, caps etc. The plumber can use a “line camera” to view the inside of your plumbing drain system. This will help identify the actual and potential problems which can be addressed before they become an expensive emergency.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I do not have a problem fixing things at my units.
I have a problem footing the bill, every time.
How do I hold residents responsible for repairs?
For example, drain clogs, broken blinds, off track closet doors, torn,
bent or missing window screens & screen doors, etc.
When I questions the residents the answers I get range from “It Just
Broke”, “I Don’t Know”, “It Was Someone Else’s Kids” etc.
It is never the resident’s fault.
It is not my intention to shirk my maintenance duties or blindly push off
costs to the residents, but I do sometimes feel the residents should pay for
their carelessness. How do I go
about doing this?
Dear Daddy “More Bucks”
Here is a brief guide for identifying and billing repairs
or damages. Below are two of the
most common problems.
1.
Instruct plumber that you
want them to identify clearly the type of stoppage involved.
2.
Have the plumber state on their invoice the general condition of that
particular waste line.
3.
What their professional opinion is of how the stoppage happened.
4.
Was excessive food, grease etc poured in the garbage disposal?
5.
At how many feet did they find stoppage?
Example: There is a back-to-back clog in unit A and B.
Unit B cooked steak and beans.
We know this because we looked at
pans and trashcans in their kitchen.
Our plumber clearly reported to us and documented that the
stoppage was beans. Send an
invoice of actual repairs to unit B.
During the Move-In Inspection, clearly identify the
condition of all the window and door screens.
If and when screens are damaged, attempt to determine how and why it
happened and if the cause was not natural, such as wind, rain etc.
Send an invoice for actual repairs to the resident
During the Move-in Inspection, note the condition of all
items such as carpets, drapes, blinds, counter tops, flooring etc.
Make sure the resident signs the Move-in Inspection sheet and gets a
copy. This will help
determine who is at fault when damage is discovered.
Warning: You may want to check with your attorney regarding the legality of any charges you want to pass on to your Residents.
Bio:
Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management & Buffalo
Maintenance and is a licensed contractor & real estate broker.
He is currently on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Education
Committee for the Apartment Association of Orange County. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional
since 1988 and can be reached at (714) 778-0480 or jerry@JLE1.com. Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo
Maintenance. He has been involved with apartment maintenance for over 14 years.
Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 or visit the office at, 202 E. Broadway
in Anaheim, CA 92805. Please view our web site at: WWW.JLE1.COM