When you notice a maintenance problem, you fix it — right? When the roof starts to leak, the garden becomes overgrown, or the window joinery starts to come loose, the normal response is to call in an expert and get it sorted straight away. At Copo, we do things slightly differently. We plan for upgrades rather than wait for maintenance to become an urgent problem. From experience, long term maintenance is the key to ensuring your property is kept in great condition, is compliant with all legislation, and provides a return on investment. It’s an approach that works well for both our landlords and our tenants. Here’s why!
Are You Keeping On Top Of Things?
Maintenance and upkeep is an expected part of owning a property. It’s easy to sit back and wait until a fixture or chattel becomes a problem that needs urgent attention before upgrading it. But at that point, you’re faced with:
- An unknown amount of time needed to fix it — for example, tenants may be unprepared to not have a source of heating in the lounge for a period of time.
- An unplanned invoice — you may receive a quote to fix it, but it was an expense that you didn’t see coming.
- A dilemma about how many times to repair something before it should be replaced?
The alternative is to develop a long-term property maintenance plan that details the expected work needed over the next decade. As part of the Copo service, the team will visit your property and make a list of when specific parts of it may need to be upgraded or replaced. As an example, Wellington’s coastal exposure requires roof screw maintenance every 5-10 years. New carpet was laid down 6 years ago? That may need to be replaced in the next 4 years. The oven was installed 15 years ago? The exterior cladding was painted 10 years ago? It may soon need to be painted again. Have you budgeted for these costs?
A long term maintenance plan will give you an estimate of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how much it might cost you. An important thing to remember is that it’s not just about patching up a problem — it’s about keeping your property in top condition to ensure a return on investment. A property that has been slowly renovated over time will reap higher rent than one that hasn’t, and tenants want to live in a property that looks and feels like a home.
Do you know who lives in your area?
Its demographic can significantly impact your property’s long term maintenance plan. The Copo team have been in the industry for well over a decade and are all too familiar with Wellington’s array of suburbs. We know what kind of people your property will attract — their age, occupation, lifestyle, wants and needs. For example, turning an unused nook space into a desk area is attractive to working professionals. It’s all about coming up with a plan of action that will make your property desirable to tenants and then slowly ticking things off over time.
How Can We Help?
When you partner with Copo, we make sure that your property reaches its full potential so that both you and your tenants can benefit from it. Armed with pen and paper in hand, our team would love to assess how your property can reap the returns it deserves over time. Though without the unplanned costs of emergency maintenance. Long term maintenance is the best approach for your property — please get in touch at hello@copo.nz or 0800 567 563 to discuss how we can partner with you.