How We Handle Maintenance at Mesa Properties

In order for you to own rental property without it owning you, we’ll handle all of the maintenance.

Handling maintenance the right way is one of the most important aspects of managing a rental property. At Mesa Properties, we take a proactive and structured approach to maintenance by ensuring repairs are handled quickly, correctly, and at a fair price without unnecessary delays or stress for you. Here’s how we do it:

• 1. When Will You Contact Me About Maintenance Issues?

  A lot of owners ask, “Can I list my property while my current tenant is still there?” or “Can I start marketing before repairs are finished?”

  Technically, yes. But in our experience, that’s a mistake. If a prospective tenant sees an occupied or unfinished home, they won’t get an accurate first impression of what they’re moving into. They may assume changes will be made that were never planned, leading to unmet expectations and frustration on move-in day. It’s always best when you can tell a prospective tenant, “what you see is what you get.” Having a good relationship with your tenant is key to long term success and a good relationship starts with properly setting and meeting expectations.

  A second consequence of listing the property too soon is what we call “stale bread effect”. Prospective tenants see that the home has been listed for 30+ days and they assume something is wrong with it. This leads to a decrease in showings which means owners have to decrease the price just to reinvigorate interest.

  To avoid these issues, we only show properties once they are fully rent-ready, meaning they’re cleaned, repaired, and move-in ready. We also limit early marketing to 3-5 days before showings begin, which helps keep demand high and interest fresh.

• 2. How Does Mesa Choose the Best Vendor for the Job?

  Every repair is a balance of three qualities: quality, cost, and speed. However, you only get to pick two. We call this the “Vendor Value Triangle”:

  • High quality + fast service = higher cost
  • Low cost + fast service = lower quality
  • High quality + low cost = slower turnaround

  At Mesa Properties, we have long-standing relationships with trusted vendors in every category, from licensed contractors to handymen, so we can make the best decision based on the type of repair and urgency of the situation.

  For critical repairs like HVAC, plumbing, or electrical work, we use licensed professionals to ensure the job is done right the first time. For minor issues, we use cost-effective handymen to keep expenses in check.

• 3. Can I Handle My Own Repairs?

  While some property owners prefer to handle repairs themselves or use their own vendors, this can often lead to:

  • Delays in getting the work scheduled
  • Increased liability or legal violations if an unlicensed or uninsured vendor makes a mistake
  • Breaking the property manager/tenant barrier, leading to tenants contacting you directly

  One of the main reasons tenants don’t renew the lease is dissatisfaction with maintenance and repairs. When owners that have a property management company handle their own repairs it almost always results in a worse experience for the tenant. The short term goal to save a little bit of money has big long term consequences in shorter tenancies and higher vacancy and turnover costs. Ultimately, we take care of all repairs on your behalf to keep the process smooth, protect your time, and ensure tenants don’t bypass the management process.

  We’ve been doing this for over 15 years and have managed thousands of properties in that time. We have long standing relationships with high quality vendors that can handle everything your property needs. Most owners find that the vendors we know perform higher quality work at a cheaper price than what they could find searching the internet.

  That being said, if you have a trusted vendor you prefer, we can work with them provided they are licensed, insured, and reliable. However, we will treat your preferred vendor just as we would any other vendor. If they don’t respond in a timely manner, we will reassign the work order to a different vendor. Also, we cannot guarantee that we will use your vendor every time. For example, if you have a plumbing issue on a weekend, we will default to our preferred after hours plumber.

• 4. How Does Mesa Control Maintenance Costs?

  One of the biggest concerns property owners have is overpaying for repairs. At Mesa Properties, we keep costs under control by:

  • Using our vendor relationships to negotiate fair pricing
  • Verifying vendor invoices to prevent overcharging
  • Conducting regular inspections to catch small issues before they turn into expensive repairs
  • Having multiple vendors that can complete the same job

  Having multiple vendors is key because that enables us to gather real data on pricing trends. For example, if one plumber bids $250 to replace a garbage disposal and another plumber bids $500, we immediately recognize that the second plumber is overcharging. This approach keeps costs in check and ensures we have multiple options.

  We want to be aligned with our owners to have one goal; get the job done right, at a fair price, and without unnecessary delays. That is why we don’t mark up invoices beyond the initial 90 days or use in-house repair teams that create conflicts of interest. That’s right, beyond the first 90 days, whatever the vendor charges is what you pay. No markups, no kickbacks, no hidden fees.

Get Our Expected Vendor Charges List

To date, we’ve processed more than 45,000 work orders, giving us extensive data on repair costs. Want to know how much we expect to pay our vendors? Download our Expected Vendor Charge list by clicking on the link below.

Download the Checklist!

Bottom Line: Let Us Handle Maintenance

At Mesa Properties, we take the hassle out of maintenance so you don’t have to worry about late-night repair calls or tenant complaints. We make smart, informed decisions on repairs while keeping you in the loop when it matters.

When you work with us, you get:

• Faster, high-quality repairs that protect your investment
• Fair pricing without inflated costs or unnecessary work
• Fewer headaches, less stress, and more peace of mind

Let us handle the maintenance so you can own rental property without it owning you.