Tapi

Edition 01

National Maintenance Index Brought to you by

National Maintenance Index | 2

Welcome to the first edition of Tapi’s National Maintenance Index. We developed this Index to inform you about what is going on within the property management industry in regards to maintenance. This edition of the Tapi Maintenance Index is designed to give you a look into the most common maintenance issues up to 2019 and how much they might be costing you, in comparison to the rest of the market. Use this data as a reference to estimate how much common maintenance issues should be costing you and your owners. It’s a great way to help your owners get the most out of their investment.

3 | National Maintenance Index

How to read the data This book is divided into five main sections.

Each section summaries these key points:

Average Spend On specific category of maintenance per property per year.

Average Jobs The number of jobs for a specific category of maintenance per property per year.

Monthly Spend Illustrating average monthly spend throughout a year, specific to a maintenance category.

Average spend on maintenance issues A break down of the average cost of a maintenance issue and the most common fixes within those issues.

National Maintenance Index | 4

Contents Plumbing Page 6 Plumbing

Page 7 Sink

Page 8 Toilet

Page 9 Shower

Page 12 Washing Machine

Page 13 Dishwasher

Page 15 Asbestos

Page 16 Alarms

Page 17 Insulation

Page 19 Ceiling

Page 20 Door

Page 21 Flooring

Page 23 Heater

Page 24 Lights

Page 25 Power

Appliances Page 10 Appliances

Page 11 Oven

Compliance Page 14 Compliances

Structural Page 18 Structural

Electrical Page 22 Electrical

Tapi Page 27 About Tapi

5 | National Maintenance Index

Plumbing Tapi analysed over 18,000 plumbing related jobs, including showers, toilets, hot water cylinders and everything in between. The number of plumbing related maintenance jobs spiked in the winter months. Jobs in May and June increased by around 8%. In the graph below, you can notice the variance of price of plumbing jobs throughout the year.

$185

Sink Tap

Average spend per property

Most common job

185

180

175

170

165

160 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Plumbing | 6

$177

Sink

Average cost to fix

Tap $190 Waste Disposal $162

Drain $171

Tips & Tricks

Educate tenants what liquids shouldn’t ever be disposed of in a kitchen sink. e.g. disposing of hot fats and oils can cause blockages.

7 | Plumbing

Drain un-blockers are an easy way to avoid unnecessary call outs.

Advise tenants to avoid scraps that can damage the waste disposal e.g. banana skins, egg-shells, tea bags and onion skins.

$192

Toilet

Average cost to fix

Seat $167 Cistern $207

Bowl $207

Tips & Tricks

Advise tenants to avoid chemical drain cleaners for clogged toilets. They can damage older pipes and fixtures.

Make sure the components of your toilet are in good condition by inspecting toilets every six months.

The flooring around a toilet is susceptible to excess water damage and rot.

Being proactive in checking this, can save money long term.

Plumbing | 8

$194

Shower

Average cost to fix

Door $144 Curtain $186

Tap $164 Drain $145

Tips & Tricks

Proactively replace silicone in showers when it starts to deteriorate.

9 | Plumbing

Check if tiles and grout are kept in good condition.

Ensure drains are kept clean and clear to avoid causing potentially larger problems.

Appliances After reviewing over 10,000 appliance-related maintenance jobs such as, fridges, dishwashers, ovens, etc; we identified that March had the highest amount of appliance-related jobs. March and May both had up to 10 - 20% more appliance-related jobs than the rest of the year. The graph below shows the average spend of appliance jobs by each month.

$169

Stove Top

Average spend per property

Most common job

185

178

171

164

157

150 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Appliances | 10

$190

Oven

Average cost to fix

Range Hood $159

Stove Top $198

Oven Parts $169

Tips & Tricks

Check cleanliness of ovens during inspections. Ovens will deteriorate quicker if they aren’t consistently cleaned.

11 | Appliances

Range hood filters need to be cleaned frequently.

Otherwise, it will wear out the kitchen exhaust fan quicker.

Be familiar with what appliances in the property, such as ovens, have warranties. When it comes time to repair or replace an oven, warranties can save your clients a lot of money.

Washing Machine

$141

Average cost to fix

Tips & Tricks

Washing machines should always sit on a level surface. When they aren’t level any strong vibrations can lead to damage to the washing machine and the surface it sits on.

Front-loaders usually tend to be more prone to leakage than top loaders.

If the property does have a front loader, the door seal needs to be cleaned regularly to avoid the buildup of debris.

If the property is going to vacant for an extended period of time, turn off the water supply and unplug the washer to prevent accidental leakage or flooding.

Appliances | 12

$153

Dishwasher

Average cost to fix

Door $138 Draw $144

Tips & Tricks

It is worth organising to get the dishwasher serviced every couple of years, for a general check-up. If the dishwasher is under warranty, this service may even be free!

13 | Appliances

The latch in a dishwasher takes a lot of wear and tear. If the dishwasher isn’t closing properly, it can be due to the latch needing adjustment or even replacement.

Dishwasher racks are typically very expensive and often rival the cost of a new appliance, so ensuring they are kept in good shape can prevent unwanted costs.

Compliance Over 7000 compliance-related jobs were analysed. This included insulations, smoke alarms, meth testing and asbestos related jobs. December had the lowest amount of compliance jobs, which was 75% decrease from February which had the most amount of compliance jobs in the year. In the graph below, you can see the difference of spend through the months with March having the lowest amount of average spend.

$129

Smoke Alarms

Average spend per property

Most common job

180

164

148

132

116

100 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Compliance | 14

$177

Asbestos

Average cost to fix

Tips & Tricks

Ensure you have an asbestos’ management plan - your company may already have policies in place or you can employ an expert to write one up for you.

15 | Compliance

Only certified suppliers should be used to remove Asbestos from properties.

If the asbestos is nonfriable, it’s often safer to leave it undisturbed. If you are unsure whether to carry out maintenance, it may be worth to ask an expert to inspect before going ahead with any work.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke Alarms $99

Tips & Tricks

There must be at least one working smoke alarm within 3 metres of each bedroom door or every room where a person sleeps.

Smoke alarms should be checked regularly to ensure they are working correctly (even if they are 10-year smoke alarms).

Don’t forget about selfcontained caravans, sleep outs, or similar structures.

They must have at least one working smoke alarm.

Compliance | 16

$104

Insulation

Average cost to fix

Assessment $86 Install $446

Tips & Tricks

Ensure properties are compliant by meeting the minimum R-value required.

17 | Compliance

Conduct regular assessment to maintain insulation to a reasonable condition.

Different types of insulation are made from different materials, choose one that best suits the property’s qualities.

Structural We analysed 21,000 structural-related maintenance.

Structural jobs included any house renovations, windows, doors, flooring and more. March had the highest amount of structural-related jobs which was over 30% higher than December, which had the lowest amount of jobs. The graph below shows the difference in average spend on structural jobs month by month.

$170

Door Lock

Average spend per property

Most common job

185

180

175

170

165

160 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Structural | 18

$220

Ceiling

Average cost to fix

Ventilation $226 Fan $259

Tips & Tricks

During the cold winter months, advise your tenants on the best ventilation methods for their property to prevent mould and dampness.

19 | Structural

Dehumidifiers are a great option to avoid moisture build up and maintain a healthy home.

If available, advise tenants to utilise the extractor fans in bathrooms to prevent mould.

$144

Door

Average cost to fix

Frame $138 Lock $115

Handle $133

Tips & Tricks

To prolong the life of hinges, handles and locks; lubricate the doors and windows once a year.

Seal doors with soft adhesive strips to fill any gaps and to help preserve the look of the door.

Door stops are an easy way to look after doors in windy and high traffic areas.

Structural | 20

$199

Flooring

Average cost to fix

Carpet $184 Vinyl $448

Flooring Tile $239

Tips & Tricks

It pays to invest in a carpet with better durability, as you shouldn’t need to replace it as frequently.

21 | Structural

Polypropylene carpet is more tenant-friendly and will last longer in rentals as they are less likely to pill and hold stains.

Ensure tiling and grouting is maintained and in tack to prevent avoidable repairs.

Electrical After analysing over 8000 electrical maintenance jobs, including lights, cables, wiring, tvs and everything in between; we noticed that March showed a spike in the amount of electrical jobs. December had the lowest amount of jobs, with over 70% less jobs than March. In the graph below, you can see that April had the lowest average spend on electrical jobs in comparison to other months.

$160

Power Points

Average spend per property

Most common job

180

174

168

162

156

150 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Electrical | 22

$174

Heater

Average cost to fix

Tips & Tricks

Heat pumps filters should be checked and cleaned regularly to prolong life span.

23 | Electrical

Gas heaters should be serviced ever 12-18 months.

When looking to upgrade the heating at a property, invest in more efficient heating systems, as they are safer, cost-effective and durable.

$158

Lights

Average cost to fix

Bulbs $150 Fitting $146

Switch $155

Tips & Tricks

LED Bulb will cost more to install but have a longer lifespan and reduce electricity costs.

If lights are blowing regularly, this is often due to a more complex wiring issue.

Be aware on what light fittings are suited best to particular lights, as this can impact the ability to choose energy saving options in the future.

Electrical | 24

$162

Power

Average cost to fix

Powerpoint $149 Wiring $172

Metering $143

Tips & Tricks

Older homes and fuse boxes tend to require more repairs due to aged wiring.

25 | Electrical

If any water damage occurs within the property, you should always investigate any potential electrical faults.

Educate tenants to avoid overloading power points, as this is a common fire hazard and can then cause damage to other appliances.

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