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What Qualifies as an Emergency Maintenance Request?

Rental home resident holding a bucket under a water leak.Most property managers are aware that they are required to respond promptly when a resident calls with an emergency maintenance request. But which maintenance requests are emergencies, calling for immediate attention, and which are less urgent? This is one of the more difficult inquiries that property owners encounter, as certain problems, despite their potential to cause discomfort or inconvenience, are not true emergencies. On the flip side, other maintenance issues are sufficiently grievous to be addressed immediately or risk violating Landlord/Tenant laws or habitability codes. Recognizing the difference between the two can help you positively handle all your renter’s maintenance requests.

What defines an emergency repair?

One way to know when you have a true emergency on your hands is to consider to what degree the maintenance issue could cause injury, severe property damage, or compromise your resident’s health and safety. Any issue that would meet this definition would normally be considered an emergency. Common emergencies involve:

  • Gas Leak
  • Frozen or Broken Water Lines
  • Flooding or Water Emergencies
  • Fire
  • Carbon Monoxide Detection
  • Sewer Back-up
  • No Heat in Cold Weather
  • No Air Conditioning in Extremely Hot Temperatures
  • Extended Power Outage
  • Intruder Break-In

Determining an Emergency from Non-Emergency

It is imperative to comprehend that certain maintenance items may be emergencies in one set of circumstances but not in another. For example, a broken air conditioner is not an emergency during a cool climate. Yet, it is undoubtedly during a heatwave where temperatures reach dangerous levels.

Failing to respond immediately to emergencies such as these, including those that occur in the middle of the night, could violate habitability laws and, in the long run, cause serious legal trouble. This is particularly the case if your idleness prompts your tenant to take matters into their own hands and deal with or make the repairs themselves.

Non-Emergency Maintenance Types

On the other hand, other maintenance issues that, even though problematic, are not typically believed to be emergencies unless there are extenuating circumstances. For example, a malfunctioning appliance, no hot water, or minimal drips may be troublesome for your residents but typically deemed as a category of emergency repair. These maintenance issues ought to be reported as regular maintenance requests, which you can handle during business hours.

For rental property owners, distinguishing what constitutes an emergency maintenance issue and how to respond appropriately is an important component of successful property management. In the event that you are unable to promptly respond to such requests or have other obligations that require your attention, it might be best to hire a quality property management company servicing the Flower Mound area and adjacent areas. Contact us online or call 940-323-0505 for additional information about what Real Property Management Lakeview offers rental property owners like you.

Originally Published on July 2, 2021

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