No landlord ever likes to think about emergencies, but something will inevitably happen at your property that requires immediate attention. Hot water heaters will begin leaking and flood, the heat will stop working and trees will fall down and destroy fences, decks and roofs. It’s important to have a plan in place to ensure these emergencies are responded to immediately and correctly.
Emergency Contacts
Establish who will be the tenant’s point of contact if an emergency does occur. This might be you, if you’re managing your property on your own, or a Grand Rapids property manager if you are working with a professional company. There are also after hours services that can take the calls and evaluate what needs to be done. Someone has to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and even on holidays. Emergencies are not going to occur only on Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 9:00 and 5:00. Make sure the tenant knows what the process is when an emergency occurs. They should know who to call and what to do.
Evaluation
The person or company who serves as the emergency contact needs to be able to evaluate the situation quickly and accurately. If the furnace stops working on one of the coldest days of the year, that’s an emergency. If a toilet backs up and it’s the only toilet in the house, that’s also an emergency. A clogged bathroom sink when there are two other bathrooms in the home does not constitute an emergency.
Vendors
You’ll need a reliable list of qualified and reasonably priced vendors who are willing to take care of emergencies around the clock. You don’t want to find yourself looking for a plumber in the middle of the night on a Saturday. These relationships and contracts need to be in place already so professionals are responsive when you need them.
The best way to handle emergencies is to be prepared for them. Stay on top of preventative maintenance, inform your tenants of what to do if something goes wrong and have a solid plan in place that ensures every emergency gets the response it needs.
If you have any questions about how to prepare for these situations, or you’d like to discuss your options further, please contact us at United Properties of West Michigan.
Sergio joined United Properties in 2020. He is a graduate from Pickens Technical College as a Nurse Assistant and as a Small Animal Care Provider in 2010. In the past nine years, Sergio has had various jobs, all focused around customer service.
Eden joined United Properties in 2016. Eden graduated from Davenport University in 2015 with an Associate’s in Business Administration. She’s the Executive Assistant to the Owner of United Properties, with a focus on procedural documentation. She enjoys playing guitar, reading, and doing outdoor activities. Eden is trilingual and able to communicate in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. 
David joined the United Properties team in 2019 as the Director of Client Relations and Business Development. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading all leasing, application underwriting, tenant relations, accounts receivable, process improvement, remote workers, and general office functionality (essentially anything outside of maintenance and service). David comes from a longstanding career at a Fortune 15 company primarily in a sales and customer service leadership role.
Tim VandenToorn serves as Managing Partner of United Properties of West Michigan, working closely with our owners and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company. Tim also started United Realty, which serves as a brokerage for United Properties and assists investors with the acquisition of investment properties.
Matthew joined the United Properties in early 2020. He is a graduate of Lee University with a bachelor’s in Intercultural Studies and also a master’s in Discipleship and Christian Formation. Matthew serves as a project manager over the Rent Ready process. He has 20 years of construction experience and over 10 years of experience in leadership positions. He oversees a team of technicians and schedules outside vendors getting properties back to the United rent-ready standard so that they can be leased again.
Carla joined United Properties in late 2019 as a billing specialist. Carla ensures invoices are received from contractors and bills them out in a timely fashion.
Cristina joined United Properties as the billing assistant in October of 2020. She has experience as a technology professional, an English-Spanish translator, and has worked the past several years as the treasurer of her condominium.
Rick is one of the newest members of our team. He has an extensive background in customer service. He and his wife are raising their 4-year-old son. Rick loves beef jerky so much he makes his own.
Harriet joined United Properties as a billing assistant in February of 2021. She has experience as a bookkeeper and a Property Manager for a Real Estate account. She was a working student during her college days. Harriet loves cleaning because she thinks it is therapeutic. She also loves watching series during her free time, and she’s a fur mom of one dog. Her inspiration to work every day is her family.
Diego has an extensive background in customer service and, most recently in Maintenance and
My name is Paulina Gonzalez. I have been working for the company since early 2021. I studied social work and have 7 years of experience in customer service. I speak English and Spanish. I am very patient, and I like to ask a lot of questions to learn a lot. I enjoy small road trips and cold rainy weather. I have a 3-month-old puppy, and he is my favorite thing in the world.
Jessica has a Bachelor’s Degree in Financial strategies and public accounting and is studying a masters in Blockchain and Fintech regulation. She has previous experience as a customer service representative. She speaks English and Spanish. She loves taking long walks with her three dogs, hiking and road tripping during the weekends.
Chris Good is new to the United Properties Team since June 2022 as a Business Development Manager. With years of experience in both the construction industry (Master Electrician) and the Real Estate industry (Broker), he will closely work with new and experienced investors to facilitate their real estate goals.
Melba Alvarez
Enrique Vergara (Henry)
Alyssa Lawrence
Mike Cleveland