Routine Apartment Maintenance You Should Be Doing
One of the advantages of apartment living is freedom from expensive repair bills. However, just because your landlord handles major issues doesn’t mean you can neglect smaller responsibilities. These apartment maintenance tips will improve your quality of life and make renting even more enjoyable.
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Checking Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Your landlord must install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, but renters need to maintain them. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, you should test smoke alarms every month to confirm they work properly. In addition, replace the batteries—or backup batteries—at least once a year.
Keeping the Rental Clean
Keeping your apartment clean not only improves your comfort but also protects your lease. A messy living space can attract pests or cause damage, and in those cases, your landlord may take action. Fortunately, good cleaning habits also offer other benefits.
Lower Your Bills
Clean appliances run more efficiently. For example, clearing old food from your refrigerator helps it stay cold with less energy. Wiping down your microwave, oven, and stovetop reduces odors and prevents smoke. Even washers and dryers work better—and smell fresher—when kept clean.
Improve Allergy Symptoms
Regular dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming keeps allergens like pet dander under control. This also protects your electronics. Dust can build up in laptops and game consoles, leading to overheating and malfunctions.
Prevent Pests
An untidy apartment may invite insects or rodents. Pests spread quickly in shared buildings, so keeping your unit tidy helps protect the entire community.
Save on Move-Out Costs
Landlords often deduct cleaning fees from security deposits. Staying on top of housekeeping reduces those deductions and keeps more money in your pocket.
Maintenance Outlined in Your Rental Agreement
Always review your lease to see which repairs are your responsibility. In many apartments, tenants replace light bulbs or air filters. In townhomes or single-family rentals, you may also need to maintain the yard, shovel snow, or handle trash removal.
If you have a patio or balcony, your landlord may require you to keep it neat. Additionally, remember that you must use appliances correctly. If an appliance breaks because of misuse, you may pay for repairs—even if the landlord would normally replace it.
Repairing Damages You’ve Caused
Any damages caused by the renter or their guests fall back on the renter. Small fixes might include patching nail holes. Larger ones could involve replacing carpet due to pet odors. Always check with your landlord before attempting repairs, since they own the property.
Don’t assume your security deposit covers everything. If damage costs exceed your deposit, the landlord can bill or even sue for the balance. Smoking damage is a common example—it often requires repainting, replacing flooring, and cleaning HVAC systems. Repairs can quickly reach thousands of dollars.
Informing Your Landlord of Issues
Lastly, it is the renter’s responsibility to inform their landlord or maintenance staff of any maintenance issues promptly. With larger issues, such as an appliance not working, this may seem quite obvious as it actively affects your day-to-day life, and you’ll want it fixed as soon as possible. But with smaller issues, it may seem more inconvenient to schedule maintenance staff to come into your apartment than just to live with a small issue, such as an outlet that doesn’t work or a small leak under the sink. However, ignoring these issues could cause them to turn into larger problems.
A non-functioning outlet could lead to a fire or electrical damage. That leaky pipe could cause water damage or mold growth.
It’s best to report any maintenance issues promptly to avoid additional damage that not reporting the issue may cause. You will also be protecting yourself! If you reported a leaky sink and the landlord never fixed it, you can prove the additional water damage or mold growth was not your fault. This is why reporting issues through your landlord’s email or an online maintenance portal is better than just a phone call, as you can document when the issues were reported and if the landlord ignored your request.
When making a maintenance request, be sure to differentiate between what is a minor or inconvenient maintenance issue, and what is an emergency! Some problems should not be put off until the next day, while other things that seem like an emergency may take a few days to fix. Learn the difference between what is an emergency maintenance request with our recent blog post on this very topic!alignrightSmall
With a little bit of communication with your landlord or leasing office, you can live the maintenance-free life of your dreams. It’s easy to see why more and more people are choosing apartment living as a way to escape expensive and time-consuming home repairs!
If you are ready to live a maintenance-free life, look no further than Big Sky Apartments in Staunton! Our top-notch leasing staff and maintenance team help resolve difficulties as quickly as possible, and our 24-hour emergency service ensures that you are taken care of in the event of a maintenance emergency. If you are ready to say goodbye to home maintenance or are looking for a new apartment community with a staff that cares about you, contact Big Sky Apartments today!