You're facing unexpected maintenance issues. How can you adjust your schedules effectively?

Every situation is unique even if they are on the same line or system. It is always best to understand your system well before some crisis happens to you can mitigate and manage more efficiently

**Évaluez rapidement** : Quand un problème d'entretien surgit, évaluez vite sa gravité. Un tuyau qui fuit ? Urgence immédiate. Un petit souci ? Peut attendre. Priorisez pour ne pas perturber vos autres tâches. Gardez une liste d'entrepreneurs fiables pour les urgences. Comme le dit l'expert en gestion immobilière, Marie Kondo : "L'organisation est la clé de l'efficacité."

Quickly assess the nature and severity of the maintenance issues. Determine whether they pose any immediate safety concerns or risk of further damage. This rapid assessment will help in understanding the urgency of the situation and in making timely decisions to address the issues.

One time at work I requested the manager to alow to repair items on the employees list of things rather than his if his was not pressing. This was to gain their trust and cooporation. Got got alot more done at a fater pace after that.

Unexpected repairs, or break-in work, is not uncommon; particularly in outdated industrial environments. Typically, the corrective maintenance items take precedence over preventative maintenance because a machine or entire product line can be out of service until repairs are effected. I’ve personally seen this “fire fighting” mode entirely too often and it is incredibly frustrating. However, getting product out the door is always a priority, so assigning the appropriate resources to the emergent work is the appropriate response. The preventative items that were scheduled for those resources are either assigned to others or simply delayed until after the break-in item is complete.

**Priorisez** : Sécurité d'abord, coûts ensuite. Les petits travaux peuvent attendre. Informez votre équipe et locataires. Comme le dit David Allen : "La clarté booste la productivité."

Once the assessment is complete, prioritize the maintenance work based on the urgency and impact on the property and its occupants. Allocate resources to address the most critical issues first, ensuring that any potential risks are mitigated promptly. This may involve reassigning or rescheduling existing tasks to accommodate the unexpected maintenance work.

Keeping your work prioritized is one of the best ways to meet unexpected issues. Unexpected issues arise all the time and we must be able to, at times, drop what we are currently working on to meet these issues, depending on their severity. Anything that has to do with the safety and security of my guests takes high priority. Second, would be anything that needs attention asap due to it becoming a larger issue if not promptly delt with. Any maintenance issues below these categories are still very important and need to be addressed as quickly as can be, but can be moved up on the schedule if need be. I have 10 Maintenance techs in my region. I can always utilize them when and where needed so that I can attend more urgent issues.

This is true. communication is the key. What is even better is to communicate so they understand by using relative lanuage they can follow.

Mettez à jour : Informez, rassurez, répétez. Utilisez tous les canaux. La transparence crée la confiance. Comme dit Simon Sinek : "La communication, c'est la confiance."

Communication is key. Keep tenants informed about the unexpected maintenance issues and the actions being taken to address them. Provide clear and timely updates about any impact on their daily routines, such as temporary disruptions or access restrictions. Open and transparent communication helps manage expectations and minimizes inconvenience for the tenants.

Being fully transparent about realistic timelines and processes sets the right tone and builds trust with clients. Informing them upfront about potential common occurrences that could cause delays ensures they know what to expect. By doing this, I demonstrate to my landlords and tenants that I prioritise honesty, which encourages them to do the same. In my experience, adopting an 'Honesty is key' approach has been a game-changer in property management.

To effectively handle unexpected maintenance issues, reallocating your resources is essential. This might involve shifting staff from non-urgent projects to address the immediate problem or temporarily hiring additional help. Assess your current resource allocation and make adjustments as needed. It’s also an opportune moment to review your maintenance budget to accommodate the extra costs without compromising other areas of property management. By proactively managing your resources and budget, you ensure that urgent issues are resolved efficiently while maintaining the overall stability and performance of your operations. This strategic flexibility is key to successful property management.

While I understand that this topic is centered on Property Managment, an important issue concerning reallocation of human resources is universal. Frequent reassignments of staff personnel away from non-urgent projects to urgent issues devalues the efforts of the individuals working on the planned projects and deminishes the importance and integrity of them. This will alter the future buy-in of new projects and affect the "ownership" of existing projects.