What do you do about repair scheduling? Who supervises?

[Megma]

I am curious how the other landlords here (those who self-manage) handle repairs that need to be made but are not the fault of the tenant. For example, we currently have a roof leak. We need to get it fixed, it's no fault of the tenant but it inconveniences them.

Do you schedule someone to come out and go to supervise yourself? Do you try to schedule for when your tenants are home to let someone in/out? I can see a tenant wanting to be there if someone is coming in their home (I would) but I can also see that it's inconvenient for them to be there. Do you offer any incentive or bonus to compensate for the inconvenience or their displacement?

This is a process I need to work on, so I'd like to hear what others do.

[patchyfacialhair]

Not a landlord, but wife and I are both very experienced in multi-family property management, both as tenants and as managers.

"It is what it is" is the phrase I use to sum up these scenarios. Do your best to accommodate your tenant's preferences, but at the end of the day, if things don't get fixed, it costs you more money, and it causes your tenant more grief/aggravation. No need to compensate the tenant for the inconvenience. All residences need maintenance/repair from time to time and sometimes the best time to get things fixed doesn't line up with a tenant's perfect schedule. "It is what it is."

Just be sure to follow through on your end, and communicate any deviations with your tenant. You told them that a repair would take a day, but it turns out that 3 days is more likely? Communicate with them so they know what to expect.

Last but not least: some folks can never be pleased. We've managed renovating units from top to bottom, putting in all new appliances, fixtures, cabinets, flooring, and painting everything including the ceiling, and they'll complain that the shade of grey in the bathroom makes their ancestors upset. Imagine if their unit needed a repair? It's not always easy. "It is what it is."