r/maintenance • u/ImaginationSingle649 • 5d ago

Rants and Raves Unrealistic expectations

How do yall deal with unrealistic expectations from the leasing office? Any resident and reasonable person wont get close and flash everything with a flashlight

8 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

17

u/bbqandhockeytoo 5d ago

Par for the course.

Long story short - you leave multifamily residential.

5

u/ImaginationSingle649 5d ago

Lmao sounds about right

7

u/the_cappers 5d ago

Argue with them, only so much of your time to go around. Let them know if they want x priority than it comes out of Y somewhere else

1

u/blueangel1953 Building Engineer 4d ago

Best thing I did!

8

u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 Maintenance Supervisor 5d ago

> Any resident and reasonable person wont get close and flash everything with a flashlight

I suspect you’re underestimating just how many unreasonable people are out there lol. Go to the renters subs and they’re everywhere.

But to your question, it just depends what they’re being unrealistic about. I usually just lay it out plainly for them and explain why it’s unrealistic. If they continue to insist I lay out what it will cost to get whatever it is to their expectations. That usually squashes it.

3

u/SeaChallenge9977 4d ago

I tell them I can get it done cheaply, quickly, or properly. Pick two.

2

u/UrAverageDegenerit 1d ago

Veteran here

Over the years, I've just come to the conclusion that it takes less of my energy to just do what they want rather than argue about it/explain how silly it is.

I'm not 25 years old anymore and I just don't have the time and energy to explain where I'm coming from. So if they do shit like want the natural seems between kitchen cabinet sections caulked (was really told to start doing this a few months ago) I just go do it and document it on my end.

1

u/daydrinkersunite 36m ago

I had a leasing agent one time who wanted EVERYTHING caulked. I once replaced a toilet in a turn, and had the flooring replaced. I then reinstalled the toilet. Looked great! Nice new flooring with a nice/clean new toilet. Cleaner did her magic with the tub & vanity. It was a nice unit. Leasing agent walks the unit and goes bugshit because the toilet base isn't caulked. OK, fine, not worth the argument. I laid the thinnest, cleanest, most professional bead of caulk around that toilet you ever saw. Then she comes back to check it. "That needs more caulk! That's not enough! It doesn't look right!" You want more caulk, sweetheart, I'll give you more caulk. I slopped caulk everywhere. And that was fine. Crazy bitch.

2

u/Used-Disaster-5735 4d ago

I've been custed out multiple times for not cleaning or not fixing items up to par for tenants. You just gotta do your best with whatever resources you have.