What If The Real Cost Is Not Fixing It?

Maintenance now takes a huge share of a property manager’s workload, and WA contractor shortages are pushing both delays and prices higher. We break down what landlords are legally responsible for, why trusted trade relationships matter, and how proactive systems protect your asset and help keep great tenants longer. • Maintenance workload shifting to roughly a third of a PM’s day • Contractor scarcity in WA driving unreliability and price jumps • Using trusted contractors rather than chasing the cheapest quote • Why “kickback” assumptions miss how accountability works • How long-term trade relationships create leverage and small favours • WA landlord obligation to keep a property in reasonable repair • Clear lines between maintenance versus cosmetic condition • Why tenants report more issues than owner-occupiers • How blame-first thinking hurts tenant trust and reporting • Proactive maintenance through audits and reducing repeat call-outs • Reframing “upsell” notes as risk management suggestions • Tracking depreciation, warranties, and install dates with better systems • Maintenance as a major factor in lease renewals and vacancy costs • What to ask a property manager about their maintenance process and after-hours system If anyone has any questions or anything that they want to troubleshoot or for us to discuss, feel free to send a message through this platform or you can send through a message through our Instagram, SOCO Realty, as well.www.socorealty.com.au