1.They pick up trash. When walking a property, the maintenance staff stops if they see any trash has fallen during the day.  They are not “too good” to take time for the small stuff.

2.They do more than is on the service ticket. Good maintenance supervisors have a couple of standard items that are checked every time they perform a service request. They check faucets for leaks, test the smoke detector, and check for running toilets, as well as spot obvious problems, like worn weatherstripping.  There may be more, but these are standard items.  It saves the property money, keeps the resident safe, and demonstrates caring to the customer.  In addition, in the long run, they are helping to make the job easier when the unit is turned because many of the small problems are taken care of each time the apartment has been entered.

3.They communicate with residents. Successful maintenance staff members speak to the residents they pass, leave behind information about repairs in their homes, and make phone calls or home visits when a resident has a question about his or her repairs, or how something works.

4.They see themselves as “a part” of the Office/Leasing Team, rather than “apart” from that team. Introducing themselves to a prospect in the office or on the property during a tour is a perfect way to be part of the team.

5.They tattle on the residents.  Whether it is seeing concerns about potential hoarding, housekeeping issues, over-occupancy, indoor pot farms, unreported pets, etc., good maintenance supervisors and technicians don’t close their eyes to issues that could become costly or dangerous, but take an interest in resolving them.

6.They mentor and share “how to” with their staff. They don’t “hoard” their expert skills, but work one-on-one with less skilled team members, sharing knowledge without belittling, and build strong teams, even on “sister” properties.

7.They build up the whole team. It would be easy for the Maintenance Supervisor to participate in gossip, criticize the property manager or company, or just ignore strife and go about his or her work.  Instead of feeding into that, they encourage co-workers, discussed concerns with the Property Manager, and they as a team keep morale high and property operations at strong levels.

Technical maintenance skills are important, but technical skills are more easily taught to people who have the right habits and overall care for the team, the residents and the property.