Benefits of Property Maintenance Software for Multfamily Rentals

Benefits of Property Maintenance Software for Multifamily Rentals

In the fast-paced world of multifamily housing, property owner-operators and managers are constantly seeking ways to streamline operations and enhance resident satisfaction. In addition to their Property Management Systems, for example Yardi, Realpage, Entrata and AppFolio, efficiency-focused operators  are also leveraging Property Maintenance Software.  This has become an integral component to cut costs, improve maintenance labor bandwidth, and supports maintenance operations centralization. 

Property maintenance software has become an invaluable asset for multifamily housing properties by leveraging technology to deliver better data, manage workflow and improve the experience for residents and technicians. In this article, we will explore what property maintenance software entails and delve into its numerous benefits to owners, managers, technicians, and residents of multifamily rentals.

What is Property Maintenance Software?

Property maintenance software aims to serve best-in-class maintenance operations by centralizing key maintenance operations such as intake, diagnosis, scheduling, and fulfillment recommendations. 

There are various features that property maintenance software can provide, including:

• ‍Resident Response: Residents can easily report issues, ensuring prompt communication and quick initiation of the maintenance workflow.‍
• Real-time Troubleshooting: Enables immediate attention to maintenance problems, minimizing downtime and preventing potential escalation of issues.‍
• Issue Diagnosis: Property operators gain valuable insights, facilitating efficient and accurate issue resolution, reducing the need for repeated repairs.‍
• Emergency ID & Handling: Ensures a swift and prioritized response to emergency maintenance issues, enhancing resident safety and property protection.‍
• Actionable Insights: Enhances overall maintenance strategy and efficiency by leveraging data-driven information for preventive measures and process optimization.‍
• Work Order Triage/Assignment: Ensures tasks are directed to the right individuals, optimizing workforce allocation and improving response times.‍
• Scheduling with Residents: Enhances resident satisfaction by accommodating their schedules, minimizing disruptions, and promoting a collaborative environment.‍
• Completing the Job: Provides transparency throughout the maintenance process, enabling property operators to monitor and ensure timely job completion, ultimately improving overall operational efficiency.

The Need for Property Maintenance Software in Multifamily 

‍Multifamily owner-operators are integrating property maintenance software within their management software to save money & increase labor bandwidth. Multifamily properties often face various obstacles and challenges that can be effectively addressed through the implementation of property maintenance software. These challenges often include:

Resident Experience and Satisfaction: Residents may struggle to articulate their maintenance issues effectively, which can impede the timely and accurate resolution of problems. Without insight into the issue at hand, it becomes difficult for technicians to identify trends, assess the effectiveness of maintenance strategies, and make informed decisions.  This often manifests in the need for technicians to take multiple trips to the resident's unit, potentially further disrupting their day-to-day life.

Painful resident experiences can significantly impact resident retention and the overall brand reputation of the property. Instances of poor maintenance experiences, such as delays in issue resolution, subpar repairs, or inadequate communication, can lead to resident dissatisfaction and ultimately result in resident churn. These negative experiences not only affect individual residents but can also influence the perception of the property among potential tenants.

Workforce Challenges: One of the key challenges is the difficulty in hiring, retaining, and upskilling on-site technicians. The demand for skilled technicians often exceeds the available supply, leading to a shortage of qualified personnel or an increase in workflow for existing technicians. With the extended day-to-day responsibilities of managing a multifamily housing complex, there is often limited bandwidth left to focus on proactive maintenance and improvement initiatives. 

Adding to the complexity are communication challenges that hinder effective collaboration between residents and maintenance personnel, often leading to frustration for both the facilities residents and technicians. 

Operational Inefficiencies: Operational inefficiencies in multifamily housing models can hinder maintenance operations and impact overall productivity. These inefficiencies include unnecessary after-hours emergency trips and calls, low work order visibility, and difficulty prioritizing and sequencing work. 

Unnecessary after-hours emergency trips and calls can disrupt the work-life balance of maintenance technicians and strain available resources. As a result, maintenance teams are often forced to address non-urgent issues outside of regular working hours, leading to unnecessary overtime costs, (1.5-2x), a dissatisfied maintenance team, and potential delays in resolving emergency maintenance requests. 

When work orders are not adequately tracked and monitored, it becomes challenging to gain a comprehensive understanding of the maintenance tasks at hand. Without proper mechanisms in place, maintenance teams may struggle to prioritize and sequence tasks based on urgency, impact, or available resources.

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Benefits of Property Maintenance Software for Multifamily Rentals

Property maintenance software offers numerous benefits to residents, technicians, and property owners, operators, and managers alike. By implementing a centralized maintenance system, these stakeholders can experience significant value and improvements in their daily operations. 

Let's explore the key advantages:

Smarter Solutions for Operators

With a centralized approach, operators can optimize their processes, reduce costs, enhance the resident experience, and gain valuable transparency into maintenance operations. 

Property maintenance software empowers property owners and managers to make informed decisions, strengthen their brand, and create a more efficient and satisfying living environment for residents. Some key benefits for owners and operators include:

Costs:

• Eliminate unnecessary service calls by optimizing maintenance processes and prioritizing tasks.
• Reduce vendor time through streamlined communication and task assignment.
• Log possible future issues for preventive maintenance, minimizing the likelihood of costly repairs.

Experience:

• Strengthen your brand by delivering on resident expectations, resulting in increased resident satisfaction and retention.
• Keep residents in their units longer by providing timely and reliable maintenance services, ultimately reducing turnover rates.

Transparency:

• Determine requisite parts inventory based on detailed historical data
• Gain insight into preferred appliance make/model based on performance
• Visibility over holistic maintenance operations, allowing for better planning and resource allocation.
• Experience fewer surprises and unexpected expenses, leading to more accurate long-term budgeting.
• Develop an authentic understanding of your employees' experience, enabling you to address any challenges and improve overall team performance.

Equip Technicians for Success

Technicians highly value property maintenance software due to its intelligent features and capabilities. By leveraging such software, technicians are better equipped to handle maintenance tasks with confidence and efficiency. 

With improved efficiency and clarity, technicians can focus on delivering high-quality maintenance services, ultimately benefiting the facility and its residents. Here are some ways that centralizing your maintenance initiatives can benefit technicians: 

Intelligence:

• Eliminate unnecessary service calls by providing technicians with comprehensive and accurate information upfront.
• Reduce vendor time by ensuring that technicians have all the necessary details and resources to complete tasks efficiently.
• Allow technicians to log possible future issues, enabling proactive preventive maintenance to avoid future complications.

Clarity:

• Technicians can work confidently and efficiently, as they no longer waste trips due to poor pre-arrival diagnoses or limited information. On average, technicians waste 2-3 trips per work order.
• Technicians have access to clear and detailed work orders, including information on required parts and tools, minimizing delays and enhancing productivity.

Efficiency:

• With centralized maintenance systems, in-house and third-party technicians can maximize their time and productivity.
• The software optimizes task allocation, ensures streamlined communication, and provides technicians with the necessary information to complete their work effectively.

Boost Resident Satisfaction

Residents experience a faster, less frustrating maintenance process. They can rely on efficient issue resolution, clear communication, and the peace of mind that their concerns are being addressed promptly. 

Residents can describe their maintenance issues in their own words, receive coaching to provide important details, and trust that their problems will be fixed correctly the first time. Some of the residential benefits include: 

Speed:

• Home maintenance issues are resolved faster with property maintenance software.
• Emergencies receive prioritization, ensuring timely resolution and minimizing any inconvenience for residents.

Visibility:

• Provide residents with clear visibility into the status of their reported issues.
• Residents are informed about the nature of the problem and clearly understand when it will be resolved, providing them with peace of mind.

Assurance:

• Residents are encouraged to report issues promptly, preserving their living experience and maintaining the integrity of the property.
• By addressing maintenance concerns in a timely manner, residents feel assured that their needs are being attended to, enhancing their overall satisfaction.

By embracing technology and implementing a centralized maintenance system, all stakeholders in the multi-family housing industry can create a more efficient and profitable environment.

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Mezo is Bringing Property Maintenance To You 

Max, our Intelligent AI-powered virtual property maintenance platform, makes one-trip resolutions possible… or even no trip at all. Mezo is a win-win-win for your residents, your on-site team, and for owners and operators. 

Max engages residents in a simple dialogue and quickly identifies the problem reported by the resident through relevant questions, photos, and videos, empowering residents to troubleshoot certain issues on their own or provide a solution until further repairs can be made. Leveraging 24/7, intuitive, digital chat UI, your team can seamlessly embed Mezo within your company’s existing property management system of record so technicians and residents begin benefitting from day one.  

Want to try Max for yourself? Schedule a demo today or contact one of our experts to learn more about our property maintenance solutions today.