While doing routine inspections on my apartment building I handed out surveys to my tenants.
I wanted their input on ways that I could improve the place and what amenities I could add to make their lives better.
Keeping quality tenants is important and catching small problems is better than fixing major ones. I was surprised as I read the surveys to find a common thread when it came to the HVAC units. Most of those who answered the questions indicated that they had trouble sleeping due to the noise that the HVAC units made when they were running. I knew that the units were about ten years old but I never gave that a thought. I had them serviced so I knew that they worked but that was about it. I asked a couple of my long term tenants to allow me to come and listen to the noise myself. After hearing the noise in their places I made the decision to invest in new models. I knew that it would cut into my profits for the year but I also knew that it would show my dedication to the people who trusted me to provide a good home for them. Each month they paid their rent on time, they cared for the apartments and took pride in the place where they lived. The least I could do was to hold up my end of the agreement too. My HVAC dealer gave me a discount for buying in bulk and I arranged to have the new units installed over a two month period.