It happens usually on Friday between 3:00 o'clock and in six o'clock and usually goes like this: "I've been meaning to call you but my toilet leaks I'm having company this weekend- I really liked it to have it fixed today".
So all week long you've had this leak and you remember to call me about an hour before we quit for the week? Expecting me to hire somebody on a Friday afternoon to work overtime because you didn't call it in all week. And now the battle begins as the tenant and I discuss options without favorable results for them as this is not an emergency to me-if it wasn't an emergency on Tuesday that is not an emergency on Friday.
So what is an emergency? Well, windows that are broken out and can be secured with some plywood, a broken toilet in a house that only has one toilet, a fire, and no heat when it's below 50 degrees outside. There may be others that pop but these are the basics. Unfortunately your tenant will disagree and so the battle rages.
How can you prevent this from happening is the question managers have been asking for years. One of the things you have to realize is you have to get inside your property on regular basis to make sure they're keeping it up, otherwise you'll get dumped on a bunch of repairs all at once. You also need to educate your tenant so they understand what's an emergency and to report repairs timely so they don't become emergencies. A lot of good luck helps as well!
Finally you need a plan to handle emergency maintenance or you will be at the mercy of who you can find last minute and that gets expensive.
