What Is Apartment Maintenance?

Essential apartment upkeep involves tasks that ensure apartments are safe, comfortable, and pleasant to live in. This includes cleaning, taking care of the grounds, controlling pests, fixing plumbing and HVAC systems, and landscaping. Maintenance technicians, apartment supervisors, and managers are responsible for these jobs.

Here are a few things you should know about apartment maintenance and how it can help you

What Is Apartment Maintenance? & Why?

Ourvillas ensure buildings are safe, comfortable, and livable. Maintenance technicians handle two types of tasks: fixing issues reported by tenants (reactive maintenance) and performing regular upkeep to prevent problems (preventive maintenance). Landlords must meet basic habitability standards set by state and local laws. These include providing weatherproofing, heat, water, electricity, ventilation, and structural safety. Many cities also require smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to be installed and inspected regularly.

There are teams that should address emergency requests, like plumbing, heating, and air conditioning, within 24 hours to comply with legal requirements and keep tenants satisfied. The daily duties of how to maintain an apartment worker vary. 

What Do Apartment Maintenance Workers Do?

Most apartment maintenance workers have full-time jobs and are often “on-call” for emergencies. They use various skills to handle different tasks, such as:

• Making sure floors, stairs, walls, and roofs are safe and secure.
• Power-washing driveways, hallways, and stairways.
• Preventing and dealing with infestations of rodents, termites, and insects.
• Deep cleaning pools, gyms, and common areas.
• Regularly checking apartment features to ensure they work properly.
• Maintaining electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.

No two days are the same for maintenance workers. One day, they might replace doorknobs, and oil hinges, and fix a floorboard. The next day, they might change air filters and handle an emergency like a burst pipe. To do their jobs, workers use tools such as flashlights, pliers, tape measures, screwdrivers, duct tape, non-contact voltage testers, and drywall repair kits.

What Do Apartment Maintenance Managers Do?

There are apartment care tips from managers form teams based on the number of open work orders and how long it takes to complete them. Typically, there are two technicians for every 100 units. The main duties of a manager include planning, scheduling, and organising maintenance tasks.

In smaller facilities with fewer than 100 units, managers might handle maintenance tasks themselves, acting as a “jack of all trades.” In larger facilities, managers oversee technicians by assigning work orders, coordinating preventive maintenance, and finding ways to save costs.

What Do Apartment Supervisors Do?

In large facilities with multiple maintenance technicians, a maintenance supervisor is needed. Apartment supervisors handle the following tasks:

• Issuing maintenance checklists
• Overseeing the completion of daily tasks
• Ensuring safety standards are met

Supervisors and maintenance managers use computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) to manage their work. CMMS helps them receive and schedule maintenance requests from tenants, assign work orders, track progress, and monitor inventory levels.

Examples of Apartment Maintenance

Different types of apartments need specific maintenance:

• Garden Apartments: These are ground-floor units with lawns or gardens. They need regular upkeep to keep the lawns or gardens looking nice.

• High-Rise Apartments: These buildings have at least 12 stories and require elevators. Elevators need regular apartment maintenance to ensure they work properly.

• Walk-ups: These are multi-story buildings without elevators, so tenants use stairs. The stairs must be clean, well-lit, and in good condition to prevent accidents.

• Duplexes: These apartments have two separate floors or share a wall. They may have a common kitchen and dining room but separate entries for each floor. Maintenance keeps the shared areas clean and tidy.

• Triplexes: These are divided into three self-contained units. Each unit needs regular maintenance to ensure everything works well.

• Lofts: Lofts are large, open spaces with few walls, big windows, and high ceilings. Often converted from industrial buildings, they require maintenance to preserve their unique look and feel.

• Studio Apartments: These are single-room units with everything in one space except the bathroom. They need less apartment maintenance compared to larger apartments.

Emergency for Apartment Maintenance

Property owners should focus on apartment care tips to minimise the need for emergency repairs. 

Common preventive tasks include:

• Removing garbage
• Mowing lawns
• Replacing air filters
• Clearing yard waste
• Maintaining utility systems

Despite these efforts, emergencies can still happen. Emergency apartment maintenance involves fixing critical issues that affect comfort and safety, such as:

• Toilets
• Plumbing systems
• HVAC units

Other urgent problems include:

• Mould
• Water leaks
• Gas leaks
• Broken doors and windows
• Electrical issues

Frequently Asked Questions