This year, many of our priorities have shifted - for property managers, they are more concerned about the cleanliness of their buildings than ever before. COVID-19 has made us hyper-conscious of the germs in our residential areas. Being diligent about disinfecting will keep tenants safe, the building well-maintained, and your mind free from worry. 

Track work orders with management software. Maintenance applications can help landlords stay on top of property cleanings. Tenants can log in to the system and send cleaning requests or repair orders whenever issues arise. The owner of a property management company wrote, “Cleaning management software has helped us handle issues the moment they crop up. When a tenant needs a fix, we’re notified immediately.” If a disaster occurs that requires attention, like a frozen pipe, you can act right away. Don’t let that water leak turn into a mould problem - be quick about fixes so that minor issues don’t spiral into major ones. 

Hire a cleaning service. As a landlord, you’ve probably dealt with a tenant who left the place a mess. You’re trying to race around and get the apartment ready before the next tenant arrives, and now you have the whole place to clean. Who has the time? Hire commercial cleaning services instead. A professional cleaner can help beyond tenant move-ins, too; they can visit the property regularly to clean the common areas. Regular deep cleaning services can put your tenants at ease - they’ll be able to trust that their home is safe.

Follow government guidelines. The pandemic situation is evolving rapidly, and so are the regulations that the government imposes. Do your part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by making sure your tenants are informed about any new rules. Hang posters in the lobby and elevator about physical distancing, wearing masks, and other safety guidelines. Place a bottle of hand sanitizer near the front door so that tenants can use it as soon as they enter the building.

Schedule regular pest inspections. You can’t control your tenants’ living habits once they’ve settled in your building; if they leave food and garbage uncovered, you may have a pest problem on your hands. Rodents, cockroaches, and other nuisances aren’t always easy to spot. You may need to call a pest inspection company to examine the suites in your property. Being proactive about inspections prevents a full-blown infestation that will send your best tenants packing.   

Use disinfectants. With COVID-19 at the forefront of everyone’s mind, it’s important to understand how to clean properly. You won’t be able to get rid of the virus using hot soap and water. That’s where the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting lies - in the products that you use. The virus that causes COVID-19 can only be eliminated through the use of an approved disinfectant. High-contact areas like elevator buttons and hand rails require regular disinfecting so that viruses do not linger on these surfaces.

Schedule maintenance for the exterior of the property. The outside of your building is the first thing people see as they pass by or approach it; it sets up their expectations for what they’ll find inside. As the seasons change, so do the demands of yard work for your building. There’s grass to mow in the spring/summer, leaves to rake in the fall, and snow to shovel in the winter - not to mention those icy sidewalks to salt! By hiring a year-round property maintenance crew, you’ll make sure your building is safely accessible and well-groomed. 

Keeping your residential property clean is important for the maintenance and success of your premises and the health of its occupants. If you let your building fall into disarray, you risk dissatisfying the most reliable tenants and losing out on valuable business.