Home Warranty for your Rental/Investment Properties

Being a landlord has many benefits, but it is also has many challenges. One of the most time-consuming challenges can be taking care of malfunctions and breakdowns at the property.

In a perfect world, the only time you would hear from your tenant is when they send the rent check. In the real world, you hear from them, probably more than you would like. And at the same time, you want to make sure that the property is well maintained while keeping the tenants happy.

How would you like to avoid those middle-of-the-night phone calls when the plumbing backs up? Wouldn’t it be great to only pay a small service fee, instead of the whole bill? Well, you can make managing your rental properties easier when you use home warranties.

Just a few of the benefits of using home warranties on your rental properties:
• Less hassle – you call the warranty company and they take it from there
• Cost savings when a problem occurs – the warranty pays the bill for covered items
• Your Tenant can call the warranty company directly for service, especially in an emergency – just let the company know that is OK and they’ll add the tenant to your home warranty plan

Because all home warranty companies are not created equal, be sure to check coverage (standard and optional), price, exclusions and limits when selecting the company to best service your property.

By the way, if you get a call from your tenant asking you to send a plumber to fix the garbage disposal, try the following:

If the disposal won’t turn on:
• Press the reset button, usually located on the bottom or side of the unit.
• Verify the unit is plugged in and the outlet is receiving power (you can plug a hair dryer or other small appliance in to test the outlet).
• Check for a tripped GFI and push the reset button.
• Re-set the circuit breaker at the panel box.

If the unit only “hums”:
• Use an allen wrench to un-jam the unit. Insert it into the bottom of the disposal with the unit turned off. Turn clockwise and counter-clockwise to loosen the jammed item. This tool costs $2-$3 at your local hardware store. Ask for the garbage disposal allen wrench (the standard size is ¼ inch.)

For limited time, Old Republic Home Protection is offering a special price on the Ultimate_Protection_Plan which includes the Silver, Gold and Platinum Upgrades along with Air Conditioning!! This Home Warranty Plan offers coverage on many items that had been denied on “traditional” home warranty coverage.