The 3-Minute Guide to Property Maintenance Software

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November 25, 2024 | 8 min read time Written By: Abby Quillen

Want to boost resident satisfaction and retention? The solution is simpler than you think: improve maintenance operations.

The 2024 National Multifamily Housing Council and Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey reveals a stark reality: 52% of residents cite maintenance-free living as the top benefit of renting. Yet, work order backlogs, slow response times and frequent emergency repairs are silently eroding occupancy, retention and profitability.

Property maintenance software is a game-changer for streamlining maintenance processes, reducing costs and boosting resident satisfaction. In this three-minute guide, we'll dive into the essential features, key benefits and best practices for leveraging property maintenance software. You'll discover how SmartRent's property maintenance solutions-including Work Management, Inspection Management and Audit Management-help property management companies, real estate investors and commercial property owners stay ahead of the curve.

Key features of property maintenance software

When evaluating property maintenance software (sometimes called property maintenance management software or property management maintenance software), it's essential to understand key features such as work order management, mobile access, dashboards, reporting, preventative maintenance, real-time updates, templates and checklists. This section demonstrates how SmartRent's property maintenance solutions integrate these features.

Work orders and maintenance requests

Property maintenance software automates work order creation, tracking and management, making it easy for maintenance teams to prioritize and quickly respond to problems. At the same time, it provides residents with real-time updates to build trust and boost resident satisfaction.

Work Management, SmartRent's maintenance management platform, automates work requests, work orders and task documentation. Dedicated workspaces for preventative maintenance, renovations, make-ready and construction keep operations organized. Walk & Talk, SmartRent's AI-powered voice assistant, simplifies work order creation by allowing field team members to talk into their devices while the mobile app automatically completes fields. SmartRent's intuitive, user-friendly resident app allows residents to submit and track service requests to facilitate communication between residents and maintenance team members.

Preventive maintenance tools

Property maintenance software allows managers to create a schedule and automate HVAC servicing, plumbing checks, equipment inspections and other preventative maintenance to prevent costly repairs.

SmartRent's Work Management not only simplifies preventative maintenance scheduling. It also integrates with SmartRent's smart leak sensors to detect water and humidity problems and automatically create work orders before issues escalate.

Mobile access and real-time updates

Mobile access and real-time updates give property managers, facility managers and commercial real estate owners visibility into maintenance activities while allowing maintenance teams to handle tasks on the go.

SmartRent's cloud-based Work Management delivers work orders and status updates directly to maintenance teams' iOS or Android mobile devices to shorten response times.

Dashboards and reporting

Customizable dashboards provide a centralized location for tracking costs, performance and recurring problems. This information helps teams make data-driven decisions to streamline operations.

SmartRent's Work Management provides advanced filters to help managers export data for deep analysis and better insights.

Templates and checklists

Templates and checklists create clear, repeatable processes for routine tasks, including repairs, inventory management, inspections and invoicing.

SmartRent's customizable templates automatically add steps and tasks to new projects to save teams time. They also streamline the make-ready process to ensure a smooth transition for new residents.

Benefits of property maintenance software

Property maintenance software improves efficiency, accountability and productivity, offering significant financial and operational benefits. Let's examine the key advantages, focusing on how SmartRent's solutions help businesses achieve these outcomes.

Streamline maintenance processes

Say goodbye to paper-based systems, disorganized communication and tedious spreadsheets. Property maintenance software provides a centralized platform to manage work orders, automate scheduling, see real-time updates about maintenance status and set alerts and notifications. The results? It saves maintenance teams significant time.

SmartRent's solutions save CAPREIT's maintenance teams "10 to 15 minutes per work order per day," according to National Sales Manager Scott Floyd. When BH Management adopted SmartRent's Work Management, the multifamily company saw a 30% reduction in the time it takes to close tasks.

Reduce maintenance costs

Property maintenance software cuts maintenance costs by automating preventative maintenance scheduling so technicians can resolve issues early. Managing maintenance tasks in one place prevents duplicate work. Also, because maintenance teams can access work orders on the go on their mobile devices, property maintenance software reduces downtime.

ECI Group eliminated its struggle with duplicate work orders after adopting SmartRent's solutions. "Our service teams are ecstatic because the service requests are going directly to their phones, and we're able to reduce the communication that [would normally] take place in person," Emily Mask, Associate Vice President of Operations and Revenue, says. When Trammell Crow Company adopted SmartRent's Work Management for some pilot rental properties, the real estate developer's average net operating income increased by $71,832.

Improve resident satisfaction

Streamlined maintenance makes a big difference in the day-to-day life of residents. When residents can easily make maintenance requests, and leasing teams take care of them quickly, tenant satisfaction increases, and residents are more likely to stay.

Trammell Crow Company's residential satisfaction score increased by 8.5% after they adopted SmartRent's Work Management. Merion Residential also saw beneficial results. "Our ability to communicate in real-time with our residents with regards to their service requests has resulted in better retention," Ron Jarvis, Vice President of Maintenance and Capital Improvements, explains.

Inform data-driven decision making

Property maintenance software organizes metrics on maintenance activities, asset management and inspections. With this information, managers can identify trends, optimize maintenance scheduling and forecast future needs. Plus, tracking maintenance requests and response times helps managers better understand residents' behavior and preferences, allowing for improved service offerings. For example, data may show residents prefer submitting maintenance requests through a residential app rather than by phone.

SmartRent offers more advanced reporting capabilities than many competitors. "Work Management is by far the best reporting system I've used for any aspect of property management," Amber Deering, Project Manager at Timberland Partners, says. "You have the ability to see whatever you want to see, whenever you want to see it and however you want to see it."

Maintain compliance and risk management

Property maintenance software helps multifamily companies and real estate investors stay compliant and manage risks. It guides teams in following safety regulations, tracking maintenance history and keeping accurate documentation. If issues arise, companies can show records of regular maintenance, repairs and inspections, reducing the risk of fines, lawsuits or other legal problems.

Cortland adopted SmartRent's Inspection Management and Audit Management to help monitor the performance and condition of their existing portfolio and new acquisitions. "The real-time data gives us the insight we need to close a deal-or walk away if needed," Carlos Smith, Director of Pursuit and Transitions, says. "Having a tool to quantify the data and turn out the results quickly is allowing us to not only continue but also increase our growth pace."

Best practices for using property maintenance software

Property maintenance software can bring significant benefits, but only when property management teams understand the most effective methods for using it. Use these strategies to achieve optimal results.

Automate preventive maintenance

Set up automatic notifications and reminders to reduce manual oversight and free up your teams' time for other tasks. Use the software's reporting feature to analyze trends and optimize your maintenance schedule.

Streamline work order management

Automate the creation of work orders when residents submit maintenance requests and configure the system to assign tasks to the appropriate maintenance team members. Use the software's live monitoring capabilities to help managers oversee the progress of maintenance tasks. Track task completion and performance metrics through dashboards.

Leverage mobile access for on-the-go management

Ensure your maintenance teams can use an app on their mobile devices to view their assignments, update task statuses and communicate with managers in real time while onsite.

Use data-driven insights for better decision-making

Generate regular reports to track maintenance activities and costs. Set and track key performance indicators (KPIs) like downtime, tenant satisfaction and task completion times to identify areas of improvement.

Integrate with other property management tools

Integrate your software with your property management software and inventory management system to centralize and simplify your workflows. Your managers will have a complete view of operations, saving time and reducing errors. They can manage tenant screening, rent collection, lease agreements and maintenance operations-and keep track of parts and materials needed for maintenance tasks-in one place.

Set clear communication protocols for your team

Encourage your team to use your software's internal messaging and notifications system to streamline communications. Establish communications guidelines so everyone knows how and when to share updates and status reports. Automate notifications for task assignments, updates and completed work orders, and set up a straightforward process for handling urgent issues. Offer training sessions and regular check-ins to ensure everyone feels comfortable with the system's functionality.

In summary

Investing in property maintenance software solutions is more than just a cost-saving strategy-it's a competitive advantage. Look beyond pricing to features that truly transform your maintenance operations: comprehensive work order management, robust preventative maintenance tools, seamless mobile access, intuitive dashboards and streamlined templates.

SmartRent's solutions empower industry-leading property management companies, real estate investors, and commercial property owners to do more than just manage maintenance-they enable you to revolutionize resident experience. Reduce maintenance costs, slash response times, ensure ironclad compliance and watch resident satisfaction soar. Contact us today for a personalized demo that could change everything.