Landlord's Guide to Property Maintenance

Megan Bullock / apartments.com • May 20, 2021

Maintaining a successful rental business often comes down to being prepared for the unexpected. You can thoroughly screen tenants, perform routine inspections, and charge competitively for rent, but these tactics won’t always guarantee success. Maintenance issues can happen at any time at any rental property and repairs can sometimes be tricky and costly. Because of this, property maintenance poses a threat to your rental income. To ensure you’re prepared, let’s dive into our landlord’s guide to property maintenance.

Move-In and Move-Out Maintenance

When one tenant leaves and another moves in, you’ll need to prepare yourself for move-in and move-out inspections, maintenance, and repairs. After a tenant moves out, the unit will need to be brought back to its original state for the next tenant to move in, especially if the prior tenant doesn’t leave the unit the way they found it. To stay organized, try out our nine step apartment turnover checklist to get your property in tip-top shape between tenancies. During the move-in and move-out process, there are a few types of maintenance tasks you should be tackling.

Basic repairs

If you haven’t found a new tenant just yet, it’s the perfect time to perform basic repair and maintenance tasks before marketing your rental. If you’ve already found a new tenant, you will be in a better position to avoid any potential vacancies that will cost you rental income. However, you’ll need to complete these basic repairs efficiently to ensure your unit is ready for move-in day.

Basic property repairs include deep cleaning the entire unit, washing windows, deodorizing carpets, checking smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and repainting where necessary.

Preventive maintenance

The move-in and move-out process is a great time to tackle preventive maintenance as well as basic repairs. This type of maintenance will help you fix small problems before they become bigger issues. Preventive maintenance may include checking the gutters, any included appliances, the septic system, the HVAC, and the chimney and fireplace (if applicable). There’s a long list to consider, but if you’re on a time crunch between tenancies, prioritize these five preventive maintenance tasks to keep your unit in good shape.

Property improvements

If your unit isn’t holding up well between tenancies, it may be time to make some improvements, repairs, and renovations to make your property durable and low maintenance. From switching the carpet to laminate flooring to replacing doors to installing easy-to-clean countertops, there are several property improvements you can make to ensure your property can hold up to long-term tenants or multiple tenant turnovers. Although renovations may cost you more upfront, these property improvements will likely save you in monthly maintenance and repair costs long term. Rental renovations can also increase the value of your investment, so you can potentially charge more for rent and increase your rental income. 

Seasonal maintenance

You should be performing routine property inspections, but there are certain maintenance and repair tasks that must be done seasonally. As the leaves change, there will be specific fall maintenance tasks to tackle, and shortly after, you’ll need to focus on the colder weather tasks like winterizing your unit. These tasks include cleaning the gutters, installing window seals and extra attic and/or basement insulation, maintaining the fireplace, using a water heater blanket, and changing the air filters. And when the weather warms once again, it’ll be time to tackle your spring maintenance checklist.

DIY Maintenance and Repairs All Landlords Can Do

Because all your properties will need maintenance and repairs from time to time, it may come in handy to have some basic skills, knowledge, and tools to handle certain tasks. Not every repair should require a professional; there are a few DIY maintenance and repair tasks all landlords can learn how to do.

Leaky faucets

Faucets wear out over time, and when they do, they have a tendency to waste water, which is why fixing leaky faucets in a timely manner is so important. Our guide to leaky faucets details the process of identifying the type of faucet you have, isolating the issue, and fixing the faucet based on type. You’ll have your faucet working properly again in no time after honing your skills with our go-to guide.

Lawn and garden care

If you don’t require your tenants to maintain the lawn and garden in the lease, the task is up to you (if you don’t want to hire a professional). To keep everything green, beautiful, and eco-friendly, check out our top lawn and garden care tips for DIY landlords.

Clogged pipes

Basic plumbing should be on every landlord’s DIY list, especially since plumbing issues are so common in rental properties. There are plenty of preventive measures to take to keep clogged pipes from reoccurring, including providing tenants with proper plumbing tools, avoiding harsh drain cleaners, and treating pipes regularly to prevent clogs.

Drywall patching

Fixing a crack or even a hole in drywall may seem like a big project, but it’s quite simple and is something you can handle on your own with a few tools, like a lightweight spackle and a putty knife. Afterwards, just repaint the area and your drywall will be looking good as new for your incoming tenant.

Removing mold and mildew

Mold and mildew can become serious issues in a rental property. The first step to addressing this problem is figuring out where the moisture is coming from, which is what creates mold and mildew. Physically removing the mold may be a large task, but it should still be simple. From testing the mold for toxicity to controlling the moisture, you should be able to remove the mold and mildew in your unit without professional help.

Maintenance and Repairs That May Require Professional Help

Even if you’re the handiest landlord you know, we all have our limits. Sometimes it’s best to hire out to trustworthy contractors to handle the job. By doing so, you may even learn a thing or two from contractors about how to fix maintenance issues in the future. For certain repairs, it may even be required by law to have a professional handle the job, so check your state laws before you tackle any projects that are outside of your wheelhouse. Although there are still many repairs you can do yourself, you may want to consider hiring a professional to avoid any missteps.

HVAC servicing

You can certainly check the HVAC to ensure it’s working as a form of preventive maintenance, but when it comes to servicing the HVAC system, you may want to hire a professional. HVAC servicing may end up being a bigger project than a DIY landlord is willing to take on.

Electrical maintenance

If your rental has electrical issues, it’s probably in your best interest to hold off on any DIY repairs and wait for a professional to assist you. Electricians are in business for a reason, so avoid attempting to fix your unit’s electrical maintenance on your own.

Water damage

Water damage can stem from overflowing toilets, a leaky appliance, burst pipes, or a natural disaster and can end up causing severe damage and mold growth. Although you can step in and stop the flow of water in most cases by turning off the main water supply line, there’s not much else you can do unless you have direct experience dealing with water damage. Do yourself, your tenant, and your rental a favor by calling in a professional contractor to help.

Roof maintenance and replacement

On average, roofs need to be replaced every 15 to 20 years. And even if you have a brand-new roof, you may not be in the clear when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Inclement weather can damage shingles or portions of the roof even if it’s new or in good shape. If any damage has occurred or if you wish to repair an older roof, hold off on any DIY maintenance and call professional roofers to do the job.

Removing termites

Routine pest control is a great way to deter pests from invading your rental. However, if termites find their way into your unit, simple pest control spray and bait won’t do the trick. A small termite problem can potentially be handled in a DIY manner, but anything closer to a termite infestation should be handled by professionals to prevent any further damage.

How to Manage Maintenance and Repair Requests Online

By listing your property on Apartments.com, you’ll have access to a full suite of rental tools that includes software used to manage maintenance requests and communicate with tenants about repairs. Through their account, tenants can request repairs from any device and provide you with the details you’ll need. They can even include photos and videos to their online request. Whether you’re repairing the issues yourself or hiring a service professional, you can easily update tenants about scheduled repairs through the portal. Stay organized by managing maintenance for all your units through your account and keep records of past requests for future reference. You can even attach receipts, add notes to yourself, and track related expenses. Your unit(s) will always need maintenance and repairs, and with Apartments.com, you can manage everything in one place.

Common Maintenance Questions

Not all property owners and managers double as contractors, so there’s a line that needs to be drawn between DIY maintenance and professional help. But there are many other maintenance topics to cover aside from who repairs the issue. Let’s go over a few additional maintenance questions that may be weighing on your mind.

How do I find a trustworthy contractor?

A good contractor is worth every penny, and a bad contractor will cost you much more. Remember that you’re looking for more than just a helping hand; you need a contractor you can rely on. Check out our top four tips for finding and hiring a trustworthy contractor.

How long should my appliances last?

If you plan to include appliances in your rental, you want to ensure they are low maintenance and durable, which is why it’s important to do your research before purchasing appliances. Check out the average service life of various appliances, as well as our tips and tricks for purchasing and maintaining appliances in your rental. And if it comes down to it, here’s the tools you’ll need for DIY appliance repair and maintenance. 

Should I charge my tenants a maintenance fee?

It’s not entirely uncommon for landlords and property managers to charge a fee for every maintenance request or repair. However, there are pros and cons to doing so. If you’re on the fence, check out the benefits of not charging a maintenance request fee or repair deductible.

Is a landlord or tenant responsible for repairs?

When it comes down to it, who is the lucky owner of the repair bill? First things first, check your lease agreement to see who is responsible for what. In general, landlords are responsible for anything that presents a safety issue or that breaks due to age or normal wear and tear. Check out our guide to learn more about what maintenance and repairs landlords and tenants are responsible for. 


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Thinking About Selling Your Home? It Might Be Time to Toss Away the "Could Haves" and "Should Haves

By The Lighter Side of Real Estate • September 1, 2026
Every year, on the third Saturday of July, millions of people celebrate National Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day. OK… maybe not millions. But somebody probably does! While it’s not exactly the kind of holiday most people mark on their calendars, it’s built around an idea that’s surprisingly relatable. We all have moments we wish we could do over. Maybe you could have invested in a company before its stock took off. Maybe you should have kept that classic car instead of selling it years ago. Maybe you could have taken that job, started that business, or simply made a different decision somewhere along the way. Real estate has no shortage of “could haves” and “should haves,” either. In fact, one that’s been floating around quite a bit lately sounds something like this: “Maybe I should have sold my house a few years ago.” “Maybe I’ll just wait until the market gets better…” If you’ve been paying attention to the housing market lately, you may have noticed that some homeowners are putting their houses up for sale… and then deciding to take them back off the market. According to recent data , delistings have been on the rise as more sellers decide they’d rather wait than accept a market that isn’t quite living up to their expectations. In fact, they’re delisting at the highest rate since 2020, right around the time the pandemic began. When you think about it, it’s not hard to understand why. For several years, many sellers got used to homes selling almost immediately, multiple offers arriving within days, buyers waiving contingencies, and offers coming in above asking price. But, as real estate markets tend to do, they’ve changed in many areas. Depending on where you live, and the price range your home is in, buyers may have more choices than they’ve had in years. They may take longer to make a decision. They’re more likely to ask for inspections, repairs, seller concessions, or simply negotiate harder than they would have a few years ago. For some homeowners, that shift is frustrating enough to make them think… “Maybe I’ll just wait until the market gets better.” And for some people, that may absolutely be the right decision. Two Thoughts That Are Closer Than They Appear What’s interesting is that the two thoughts we’ve been talking about are actually pretty close cousins. “Maybe I should have sold my house a few years ago.” “Maybe I’ll just wait until the market gets better.” One is based on wishing you could go back and capitalize on yesterday’s market. The other is based on hoping you’ll recognize the right time to capitalize on tomorrow’s. They’re both completely understandable. In fact, they’re probably thoughts just about everyone has had at one point or another—not just in real estate, but in life. The catch is that neither one is particularly helpful when you’re trying to decide what to do today. After all, you can’t sell your house three years ago. And no one—not even the smartest economists—knows exactly what the housing market is going to look like three years from now. Or any other number of years for that matter. You can only make decisions based on what the market is currently doing. The Problem With Using Extraordinary as Your Baseline It’s also worth remembering that today’s market isn’t necessarily a bad market for sellers. In many parts of the country, home prices are still historically strong. In fact, if you ask many buyers how they feel about today’s market, there’s a good chance they’ll tell you homes are still too expensive and affordability remains one of their biggest challenges. What’s changed isn’t necessarily that sellers have lost all of their leverage. It’s that many of them have lost the extraordinary leverage they enjoyed just a few years ago. But now your home may take a little longer to sell. You might not have quite as many showings. Your buyer may ask for repairs or seller concessions that would have been laughed off during the frenzy of the pandemic market. None of those things necessarily mean it’s a bad time to sell. They may simply mean the market has become a little more… normal. And normal can feel disappointing when you’re comparing it to one of the strongest seller’s markets in modern history. Every Market Creates a Few “Should Haves” One of the interesting things about real estate is that every market eventually becomes the one somebody wishes they’d taken advantage of. Looking back, it’s easy to find a market where you wish you had bought, sold, or invested. The challenge, of course, is that nobody knows which market people will be saying that about until years later. Will some homeowners who decide to wait ultimately be glad they did? Absolutely. Every seller’s situation is different, and for some, waiting may prove to be exactly the right decision. But chances are, this market will also become one that at least some homeowners eventually look back on and say, “I probably should have sold then.” The only problem is that none of us knows which market that will be until we’re looking at it in the rearview mirror. That’s why “could haves” and “should haves” usually aren’t the best guide when making real estate decisions. They only show up after the fact. If you’re debating whether to sell now, wait a while, or even relist a home you recently took off the market, one of the smartest things you can do is have a conversation with a knowledgeable real estate agent. They can help you evaluate your local market, your personal situation, and your long-term goals so your decision is based on today’s realities—not yesterday’s regrets or tomorrow’s unknowns. And if nothing else, perhaps National Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day is a good reminder that yesterday’s market is gone, tomorrow’s market hasn’t arrived, and today’s market is the only one any of us actually gets to make decisions in.

Big Investors Are Backing Off and That’s Your Opening

By KCM • August 30, 2026
Big Investors Are Backing Off and That’s Your Opening For years, a lot of would-be homebuyers have worried about the same thing. How do you compete with big investors who can swoop in, pay cash, and snap up the houses you want? Well, worry a little less. Because right now, those big investors aren't buying up the market. They're backing out of it. Investors Are Buying Fewer Homes Than They Have in Years According to Redfin, investor home purchases just fell to their lowest level since 2020 – when the start of the pandemic temporarily caused pretty much all homebuying to pull way back. Before that, you'd have to go all the way back to 2016 to find a time when investors bought this few homes (see graph below): Why the step back? Two big reasons. First, Washington passed a housing law that takes aim at large institutional investors. To be clear, these mega investors were never as big a part of the market as the headlines made it sound. They’ve always made up a relatively small slice of housing pie. But the law still targeted the largest ones, and it worked fast. According to Thom Malone, Principal Economist at Cotality: “When Washington announced its intention to curb institutional investors’ homebuying, the market reacted. . . Cotality data shows that investment by mega investors who own 1,000 or more properties retracted almost instantly. ” Second, the housing market has cooled. Price growth has slowed in much of the country, and in some markets, prices are dipping. That makes the math a lot less appealing for investors betting on quick gains. Lance Lambert, CEO of ResiClub, explains : “Ever since rates spiked and the Pandemic Housing Boom fizzled out in spring 2022, institutional single-family rental (SFR) operators have pulled way back from buying up homes on the resale market—the math just isn't as appealing right now. Home prices and rents are no longer ripping, holding costs (property taxes and insurance) have jumped, capital markets have shifted their attention elsewhere, and elevated materials prices make renovations expensive.” They’re Not Just Buying Less – They’re Selling More This is the part most people miss. Big investors aren't just slowing down their purchases. Data from Parcl Labs and ResiClub shows the largest institutional investors are now selling more homes than they're buying – and that gap is growing these past 4 quarters (see graph below): Every one of those homes goes right back into the market for buyers like you. And since big investors tend to own homes at the lower end of the price range, a lot of what they're selling is exactly the kind of home first-time buyers are looking for. As Malone puts it : ". . . this sudden dropoff in institutional investment is a signal to first-time homebuyers that there's an opening." Less competition from deep-pocketed buyers. More homes hitting the market. And many of them at prices that work for a first purchase . That's a shift that works in your favor. Bottom Line Big investors are stepping back, and they're adding homes to the market as they go. If you've been waiting for a better shot at buying, this could be it. Let’s connect so you can see what's popping up in our area. You may have more options than you think.

Home Price Growth Slowed Down. That May Be Changing

By KCM • August 27, 2026
Home Price Growth Slowed Down. That May Be Changing. After more than a year of headlines talking about how home prices are going to crash , the latest data shows that price growth may be starting to pick back up again. And depending on whether you’re buying or selling, that shift means something different for you. The Numbers May Be Starting To Turn For the past couple of years, home price growth has been moderating – cooling from around 7% in mid-2024, according to Redfin (see graph below). But look at the right side of that graph. The pace of that growth appears to have hit its low point and started to turn. While a couple months of data doesn’t necessarily mean this will be a lasting trend, there are some other signs that this could continue. For example, fewer markets are seeing prices decline. According to ResiClub and Zillow, about 36% of the 300 largest housing markets had falling prices as of the middle of last year. Since the start of this year, that share has been shrinking. Now? Only 23% are experiencing those mild dips (see graph below): When fewer markets see prices falling, that means more markets are seeing prices rise again. And forecasts suggest this shift has room to run. On average, experts project home prices will rise about 2.3% nationally this year. And for that to happen, price growth would have to pick up a bit in the second half of 2026. But Remember, Real Estate Is Local While it looks like national prices may be starting to pick back up a tiny bit, that doesn’t mean that’s what’s happening in your neighborhood. National home prices are really just an average of hundreds of local markets. Some are climbing faster. Others are still cooling. But one reason the national average may be looking up is because a growing number of metros may actually be net positive for prices this year. Not long ago, the major metros were split about 50/50 – half seeing prices rise and half seeing them fall. Now, that balance looks like it’s starting to tip in a more positive direction. Just last month, more than half of the major metros saw prices go up, according to Redfin (see graph below): As Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at Cotality, explains : “. . . local markets continue to tell very different stories. Annual home price growth has changed little since the start of the year, but some markets, especially those supported by strong job and income growth in the West and more affordable Midwest markets, have seen notable acceleration in price gains.” What This Means for You Home price headlines can be confusing because they don’t always tell the full picture. Lean on an agent to understand what’s happening in your local market and what the early signs say for where prices may go from here. That’s the best way to stay one step ahead of the market. If you're buying: slower price growth has worked in your favor. You've had more room to negotiate and a budget you could plan around. If price growth is picking up in your area, buying now may mean paying less than you would later this year. If you own a home: you've been gaining equity all along, even while growth moderated. If growth keeps picking up, those gains could speed up, too. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), projects the typical homeowner will gain roughly $16,000 in housing wealth this year. And if you're thinking about selling, this shift is a good early sign for you. Just remember, the market is still pretty balanced and buyer-friendly in a lot of areas right now. Home price growth slowed way down, and now it's showing early signs of picking back up. Whether you're buying or selling, let's connect so you can see exactly what prices are doing in our local market and what that means for your plans. Bottom Line Home price growth slowed way down, and now it's showing early signs of picking back up. Whether you're buying or selling, let's connect so you can see exactly what prices are doing in our local market and what that means for your plans.
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