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Sample Maintenance Policy & Procedures
The Maintenance Plan
A Maintenance Plan will be developed and implemented by the Property
Management Staff to provide a system for:
o responding to emergency maintenance needs such as fire, flood, gas leaks, nonfunctional elevators, sewer blockages, roof leaks, no heat during the winter
season, inoperative refrigerators or stoves;
o rehabilitating vacancies within 7 working days;
o handling maintenance work as scheduled on the Preventive Maintenance
Schedule;
o handling maintenance work generated by inspections; and
o requests from resident
1.
Maintenance, Janitorial and Grounds Schedules
1.
WHO will develop a schedule for janitorial and grounds maintenance at each property. The
schedule will include cleaning timetable and procedures for interior and exterior common
areas (vacuuming, hosing down, etc.) and designation of responsibility for completing the
task (staff, designated resident.)
2.
When possible, major repairs, including capital improvements will be budgeted items. At
properties that employ maintenance staff, it is anticipated that the staff will resolve most
routine repairs. At properties that do not employ maintenance staff, WHOM will arrange for
the resolution of most routine repairs.
3.
Garbage removal will be provided by the local collection services. The trash areas will be
swept weekly and scrubbed with disinfectant when necessary.
4.
Pest control/extermination services will be contracted as needed to provide a high level of
sanitation and cleanliness. If maintenance staff does not travel with pest control personnel
to let them into units, pest control staff will be requested to report monthly to WHOM on
units with substandard housekeeping or pest problems.
5.
Grounds maintenance will be the responsibility of janitorial staff I landscape
professional or firm. All tree maintenance will be done on a contract basis with a
landscape professional or firm.
6.
It is AGENCY's goal that routine maintenance requests will be completed within 24 hours.
7.
Emergency repairs or replacements, regardless of the time of day they occur, will be
handled promptly. Emergency need will be defined as those situations posing immediate
threat to the health and safety of residents and/or the integrity of the grounds, buildings
and equipment, including:

Interruption of services, (water, electricity, gas, adequate heat and plumbing);
Sources: Property Management for Scattered-Site Rental Housing (2009) by David Fromm and William
Brett, published by NeighborWorks America for the NWA Training Institute (NTI). Adapted from Property
Management: Long Term Thinking/Short Term Action by The Enterprise Foundation, copyright 2004
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

glass breakage which deprives resident of security or heat; or
repairs which if not performed would expose resident to injury.
In case of an emergency after business hours, residents will be given emergency
telephone numbers to reach staff and an emergency telephone number will be given on
the AGENCY answering machine.
Maintenance Work Orders
1.
Work orders will be written for all maintenance items including vacant units and preventive
maintenance work.
2.
Residents may file work order requests by calling the AGENCY office or, at properties with
site staff, at the site office. Maintenance staff, both contracted and employees, should not
accept maintenance requests directly from residents but should inform residents that all
requests must be made through the office.
3.
WHO will fill out a Work Order and arrange for maintenance personnel to schedule and
complete the work. The Work Order will be listed on a Work Order Log. A copy of the work
order will be given to residents upon completion of the work. Residents may grant
permission for maintenance work to be completed while they are absent from the unit or
they may request an appointment for work to be done while they are home. It is the option
of WHOM to restrict work in units unless the resident is present.
4.
If the resident has given permission for maintenance personnel to enter a unit in their
absence, a notice will be posted on the door to notify the resident that someone is currently
in the unit. In addition, a copy of the work order will be left in the unit with information on
whether the work has been completed.
5.
If maintenance personnel will enter the unit for work not requested by a resident, a notice
will be delivered to the resident household and posted at least 24 hours in advance, except
in cases of emergency.
6.
If the work cannot be completed within the time established at the time the work was
requested, WHO will inform the resident of the reasons for delay and provide an estimate of
when the work will be completed. WHO will be responsible for weekly follow-up with both
maintenance staff and the resident until the work is completed.
7.
If repairs were necessary because of damage or negligence caused by the resident, WHO
will decide whether the resident will be charged for the full cost of the repair. If the resident
will be charged, WHO will inform the resident as soon as possible. Residents will be billed
promptly for damages they cause, and will be required to reimburse the property within 30
days or other reasonable time agreed upon by WHOM and resident.
8.
After maintenance work is completed, WHOM will inspect the work if an outside contractor
was involved. The Work Order will then be completed by providing information on the cost
of the repair. If contractor costs are involved or charges are to be billed to the resident, a
copy of the work order and billing invoice will be forwarded to accounting.
Sources: Property Management for Scattered-Site Rental Housing (2009) by David Fromm and William
Brett, published by NeighborWorks America for the NWA Training Institute (NTI). Adapted from Property
Management: Long Term Thinking/Short Term Action by The Enterprise Foundation, copyright 2004
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9.
Completed work orders will be filed by property/unit.
Unit Turnover
1.
All unit turnover work after vacancy will be written on work orders. Maintenance staff will
ensure that units are properly painted, cleaned and repaired before a new resident moves
in. WHO will check each unit as the work is completed by the Maintenance staff.
2. If a resident has damaged his/her vacated unit beyond normal wear and tear, they will be
charged for the actual costs of replacement or repair, including labor. These charges will be
documented and deducted from the security deposit and documentation will be included in
communication concerning the refund of the security deposit.
3.
If resident damages require repainting the unit prior to its regularly scheduled redecoration,
the resident will be charged a pro-rated paint charge based on the following schedule:
1 year or less 100% of cost
1 to 2 years 80% of cost
2 to 3 years 60% of cost
3 to 4 years 40% of cost
4 to 5 years 20% of cost
No charge if over 5 years since last painted
Preventive Maintenance Schedule
1.
Each property will have a Preventive Maintenance Schedule that will be completed by
WHOM.
The types of items to be considered in developing the Preventive Maintenance Schedule
include:
• items under warranty requiring regular maintenance to maintain the warranty
• fire alarm systems
• air conditioner filter replacement
• water heater flushing
• wall heater inspection
• equipment oiling and lubrication
• roof inspection
• gutter and downspout cleaning
• sewer clean out
• touch up painting
• refrigerator coil cleaning
• areas needing regular caulking
• carpet/drape cleaning
• landscape pruning or cleanup
Sources: Property Management for Scattered-Site Rental Housing (2009) by David Fromm and William
Brett, published by NeighborWorks America for the NWA Training Institute (NTI). Adapted from Property
Management: Long Term Thinking/Short Term Action by The Enterprise Foundation, copyright 2004
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Property management staff should regularly question repair persons on how to best
maintain equipment and facilities and add tasks to the preventive maintenance schedule
as needed.
2.
It is the goal of AGENCY that each preventive maintenance task be completed within one
month of its scheduled date.
3.
WHO will be responsible for filling out a Work Order for the necessary work and arranging
for maintenance personnel or outside contractors to complete that work.
4.
The Preventive Maintenance Schedule will be reviewed once a year to ensure that work
has been completed and that the timing and scope of the work included on the preventive
maintenance schedule is appropriate. The Property Inventory List will be reviewed at the
same time as the Preventive Maintenance Schedule to insure that proper servicing and
maintenance will be scheduled for new items.
Property Inspections
1.
An informal property inspection will be completed by WHOM on a quarterly basis. A formal
grounds and property inspection will be completed by WHOM annually. After the
inspections, Work Orders will be written for required repairs and the work scheduled for
completion.
2.
At the time of the inspection, WHO may choose to survey residents on repair needs for
their units and the property as a whole.
3.
The Property Inventory list will be reviewed annually at the time of the annual inspection.
Sources: Property Management for Scattered-Site Rental Housing (2009) by David Fromm and William
Brett, published by NeighborWorks America for the NWA Training Institute (NTI). Adapted from Property
Management: Long Term Thinking/Short Term Action by The Enterprise Foundation, copyright 2004