Who Handles Maintenance Calls When I Hire a Property Manager?

Who Handles Maintenance Calls When I Hire a Property Manager?

If you own a rental in Orlando, Kissimmee or St. Cloud, you have probably had the 10 p.m. phone call about a leaking water heater or an air conditioner that stopped blowing cold air on the hottest day of the year. One of the biggest reasons owners hire a property manager in the first place is to make that call someone else's problem. So who actually picks up the phone, and who decides what gets fixed?

The short answer: your property manager becomes the tenant's main point of contact for anything that breaks. Tenants are told to call or message the management company directly rather than the owner, and a good manager answers right away rather than letting a small leak turn into a bigger repair bill overnight. At KNA, tenants reach our team on our regular line and we respond right away, then coordinate with trusted, vetted repair professionals to get the issue handled.

It is worth remembering that under Florida law, landlords have an ongoing duty to maintain their rental in habitable condition. Florida Statute 83.51 requires landlords to keep structural components such as roofs, windows, doors, floors, and plumbing in good repair, and to comply with applicable building, housing, and health codes throughout the tenancy. That legal obligation does not go away when you hire a property manager, it simply gets delegated. Your manager becomes the one monitoring code compliance and lining up licensed contractors, while you remain the owner of record responsible for the property.

In practice, most management agreements split responsibility by dollar amount and by who caused the problem. Many leases, including KNA's, make tenants responsible for minor repairs at or below a set threshold, such as a clogged drain they caused or a light fixture they damaged, while anything above that threshold, or anything involving major systems like HVAC, roofing, or plumbing infrastructure, falls to the owner. Your manager handles the logistics either way: taking the call, diagnosing whether it is a tenant responsibility or an owner responsibility, scheduling a vetted professional, and keeping you informed before any significant expense.

Routine upkeep is only half the picture. Regular inspections, ideally every six months, catch small problems, like a slow roof leak or worn weatherstripping, before they become expensive emergencies. A written condition report after each inspection also gives you documentation if a dispute over damage versus normal wear ever comes up at move-out.

If you are self-managing today and dreading the next 2 a.m. call, that alone is a reason to consider professional management. You keep decision-making authority over bigger repairs, but you are no longer the first call when something breaks.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; consult a Florida attorney for guidance on your specific situation.