When potential residents come to your properties to visit, the first thing they see is the exterior of your complex. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when you are looking for somewhere to live, the cleanliness and upkeep of the property is top of mind. PLUS, if residents enjoy living at your property or want to make your property their home, you can keep your occupancy rates up and minimize turns.
After reading that are you thinking about projects you need to complete sooner rather than later? Lucky for you, you are in the right place!
Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), like OMNIA Partners, offer various category solutions in partnership with industry-leading suppliers. Keep reading to get an idea of the power of our portfolio and start planning your renovations TODAY!
Exterior Maintenance Solutions
Take a walk around your properties. Do you see any cracks in the siding or brick? Is there chipped paint? Are your street and outdoor lights working? These are the main things you want to maintain to ensure residents are safe and that your buildings are being taken care of cosmetically. Click the image to download your copy of our spring cleaning checklist.
Doors & Windows
While you’re maintaining your properties, this is a great time to inspect door hinges, latches, and locks. Make sure they aren't rusty or no longer functioning properly.
Doing these checks regularly can help reduce deferred maintenance, resulting in a better preventative maintenance plan. Supplier partner Lowe's Pro Supply has a great checklist to ensure you are checking the right areas, including your doors and windows.
Gutters & Downspouts
Checking your gutters and downspouts is crucial because your gutters could be clogged from fallen leaves, or if it is warmer out, you may come across an old bird’s nest. It’s important to make sure your gutters are clear of debris to avoid drainage issues that may affect your residents.
Exterior Paint
Take a walk around your property and look for chips in the paint or areas where paint has faded. As simple as paint is, it is something that can make or break the appearance of a property. When prospective or current residents see chipped and faded paint it signifies a lack of upkeep.
If you find that you need to repaint your buildings or other outdoor areas of your property, supplier partner Sherwin-Williams has you covered! With countless color options you can trust their products to refresh your buildings, doors and more!
HVAC & Electrical
While this type of maintenance can be done at any point, it’s especially important to check your units' coils, filters, pilots, and motors during spring maintenance because residents will most likely be switching between heat and air functions. You'll want to make sure everything is working properly so there’s no downtime when the spring and summer heat arrives.
In addition to HVAC units, you'll also want to make sure all breakers are operational and well maintained. This is also a great time to clean out dryer vents to prevent fires.
Pest Control
Different seasons mean different bugs. It is in your best interest to have an agreement with a pest control company that will regularly treat your properties, but if that is not attainable, have someone come out and check for termites and other infestations and take preventative measures to prevent any further issues. It is best to do these inspections in late winter because as the weather warms up bugs tend to become more active, so if you plan ahead, you'll catch them before the condition worsens.
General pest control service from supplier partners like Rentokil help to control infestations of certain pests that are known to cause problems for properties, including:
- Cockroaches
- Rodents – mice and rats
- Ants, spiders and centipedes
- Millipedes
- Earwigs
- House crickets
- Wasps
Security
Whether you currently have security systems in place or not, it is something to consider. Resident safety should be top of mind, and it's something they look for when choosing a place to call home.
Supplier partner Konica Minolta believes in the power of security systems and surveillance. In one of their blogs, they shared that “like countless other technologies, video surveillance systems have advanced exponentially, growing well beyond yesterday’s CCTV (closed-circuit television) systems,” meaning it is important to keep your properties’ security systems up to date and modernized to ensure you have the best quality product to keep your residents feeling secure.
Overall Property Maintenace and Upkeep
Trash pick-up, planting flowers and parking lots might seem like minute details of your property but when it comes to resident retention, these are KEY. Your residents expect a certain level of cleanliness, service and curb appeal when living at one of your properties.
Supplier Partner, and industry expert Republic Services believes in sustainability and is committed to continually improving their environmental impact by providing properties with safe and responsible waste solutions.
Powerhouse, on the other hand, wants to help you stand out and maintain your exteriors with ease by managing everything from landscaping to parking lot management. Available through OMNIA Partners, Powerhouse delivers nationwide services that keep your locations in pristine condition.
A better way to buy.
Partnering with a GPO like OMNIA Partners is a great way to streamline all of your exterior building maintenance solutions. With a vast portfolio of solutions, you can rest assured that our supplier partners can provide whatever you need.
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Read parts two and three!
Part 2: Interior Unit Maintenance, Part 3: Property Amenities and Offices