Working in apartment maintenance can be an enriching career and open up many opportunities in the property management industry. Apartment maintenance jobs go far beyond just fixing a sink or repainting a unit too. Chances are there are more apartment maintenance jobs than you realize, and even more so, they require certain certifications and training to be qualified. Here’s a guide to a few potential property maintenance jobs and how you can get into that field.
A maintenance technician is like the jack of all trades—the swiss army knife of the maintenance world. They may end up doing just about everything if they are certified to do so. A maintenance technician will handle all repairs and maintenance for the building, grounds, and any equipment. They may handle all simple HVAC and plumbing repairs and appliance installation and any wall patching or other tasks that must be done during an apartment flip.
These positions are very heavy in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and appliance work and could require certain certifications and schooling to offer fully comprehensive services.
The Maintenance Supervisor, on the other hand, is a level up from the maintenance technician. They are basically the foreman or the manager of the maintenance department. They will be the ones assigning and organizing tasks for the technicians to complete. Although knowledge is not 100% necessary to be a maintenance supervisor, having some knowledge, or having been a technician prior can help know what needs to get done and build out appropriate timelines.
A Maintenance Supervisor may need to step in and assist technicians on more complicated matters. If they have that experience, it is definitely a leg up for the position. They should possess knowledge of what tools, equipment, and level of expertise are required for certain jobs, making everything move much faster and efficiently.
The Groundskeeper of a property will take care of everything related to, you guessed it, the grounds. The grounds include both the interior and exterior public areas. A groundskeeper may need to have gardening or landscaping experience as they will need to mow the lawn, plant flowers, weed the grounds, amongst other outdoor duties. They will also need to keep the hallways, lobby areas, and general public areas clean. It can be quite physically demanding, especially with larger properties. Some Groundskeepers may even be in charge of repainting units and other small repairs or maintenance work.
A Property Caretaker may also make small maintenance requests like repainting or some light gardening. Still, they also look after the property and are the main contact for tenants for minor issues. They will also likely show the open units and conduct both move-in and move-out inspections. Often they will receive compensation in the form of free rent or rent discounts. This is because it’s not necessarily a full-time job, but they should be available for tenant needs and showings on their own time. It’s a great gig for someone who wants a little extra responsibility in exchange for saving money on housing! Plus, it can be a stepping stone to becoming a Property Manager one day.
The Building Superintendent is very similar to the Caretaker, but they are far more qualified to handle basic maintenance repairs like unclogging drains or replace fixtures and things like that. They must also be readily available and may often need to respond to after-hours maintenance requests. Their basic knowledge in HVAC, plumbing, and other handy work will equip them to handle time-sensitive matters while the more experienced team may not be available to handle.
The Fleet Maintenance Manager would handle maintenance and repairs of any vehicles on the property. So if you have any golf carts, maintenance vehicles, moving trucks, or other mechanical machinery, they will be in charge of those repairs. They should have extensive mechanic or engineering experience or education and definitely have had experience working as a repair technician.
Fleet maintenance managers may not be as common on residential properties, but definitely on commercial properties. The Amazon warehouse would be a great example of having a great need for Fleet Maintenance MAnagers. With all of the delivery trucks, forklifts, and machinery in the warehouse, they would be quite busy with consistent repairs and upkeep of the fleet of vehicles on the property.
Last but not least, the Facilities Manager is a major contributor to all of the other positions and teams’ success. The Facilities Manager is necessary are both residential and commercial properties. The Facilities Manager handles all inventory management, scheduling, and work order management, and essentially keeps the entire place running like a well-oiled machine.
In many rental properties, this may be the Front Desk Clerk or the Maintenance Supervisor’s duties, but large enough operations would need someone fulfilling these needs for sure. To ensure everything is organized and tracked properly, having one dedicated person to place orders for inventory, cleaning supplies, tools, parts, and overall managing incoming work orders is essential to efficiency. A good Facilities Manager would possess great organizational skills and basic computer skills. They will need to be good at math to double-check budget lists and cost sheets and ensure proper maintenance orders.
These are just a handful of property maintenance positions that one may find at a residential property management company. Some require schooling and experience in repair and technical work, whereas some can be more office-based and learn-on-the-job. Either way, it’s an incredible industry to get into and one where it can be highly possible to climb the ladder into different areas after some experience. Looking for a career in Property Management? We have plenty of open positions for a Bigos Management career, including some Property Maintenance and Management positions. Check them out here!
