As a property management company owner, I know that it’s important to know what type of contractor to send for a repair so you don’t end up paying for multiple contractor visits.
Hi, there! Joe White here from Grow Property Management, your trusted property management company in Philadelphia.
When people ask whether they should use a property management company or just handle things themselves, I always try to be honest – yes, I own a property management company in Philadelphia, and yes, I know that sounds like I have a bias. But what I really care about is helping rental property owners make informed decisions. One specific area where a good property manager can save an owner a lot of money (and frustration) is in handling maintenance requests from tenants.
I’ve been doing this since 2008, and I also have a contractor’s license and a background in home construction and renovation. That experience really comes into play when something breaks. Let’s say a tenant submits a maintenance request because the toilet isn’t working. That could be as simple as a handle replacement – which a handyman can do – or it could be a bigger issue requiring a plumber. Sending the wrong person first means the job doesn’t get done and now you’re paying a second service call just to get the right professional out there.
Now, this might seem like a small detail, but these small details add up fast. Knowing who to send in for a repair isn’t just about making a good guess. It’s about experience. A good property manager will know if the issue sounds like plumbing, roofing, electrical, or something a general handyman can handle. And just having that knowledge saves owners real money.
I’ll give you a practical example: when there’s a leak, tenants often can’t describe where it’s coming from – they just know water is showing up. And that’s fine – they’re not supposed to be experts. But my job is to figure out: is this leak coming from the roof, from plumbing, or from something else entirely? Getting that right helps us send the correct professional and solve the issue the first time. That alone makes a big difference in cost and time.
Another point of difference: not every property management company handles repairs the same way. Some have in-house maintenance departments or refer work to companies they own. That’s a built-in conflict of interest. When they make more money on repairs, they have no real incentive to keep costs down. In my company, we operate differently; we refer repairs out. We don’t make a profit on them. We refer jobs based on who we believe is the best and most cost-effective contractor for that specific issue.
Because of our size and volume, we have tremendous buying power. We’re sending a large amount of business to contractors, which means we often get the best rates – and those savings go straight to the property owners. We don’t accept kickbacks or markups. When we refer a contractor, it’s because we trust their work and know they’ll do the job properly and affordably.
Ultimately, the person handling your property’s maintenance should be looking out for your bottom line. They should know what kind of professional to send, avoid unnecessary service calls, and ensure that problems are solved quickly and efficiently. That’s what I try to bring to the table every day as a property manager – and why, for many landlords, working with the right property management company can more than pay for itself.
Just a humble Philadelphia property management company owner here, doing my best to share what I’ve learned. Happy rental property investing.
