Every landlord wants to maximize their revenue, and handling rental property repairs on their own is often the first thing they do to save. However, this isn’t always the best idea, as there is a fine line between a cost-effective repair project and a liability crisis that can cost you way more than hiring a licensed professional. Knowing which fixes you can DIY, and which require an expert, is the difference between a well-maintained property and an expensive insurance claim, or a conflict with your tenants. We’re going to cover the most common repairs a rental needs, so you understand the “DIY vs. Pro” divide to keep your property safe, your budget in check and your peace of mind.
Beyond Repair Costs
Before we enter into the main theme of this blog, landlords must keep the distinction between cosmetic wear and early damage signs in their minds before choosing to go DIY or calling a vendor. For example, there’s a small stain in the wall, and the paint is in good shape? Most likely cosmetic. Is the paint peeling, and there’s moisture underneath? That’s a bigger issue a new coat of paint won’t solve. Essentially, save when it’s about appearance, and spend when it’s about prevention.
Another factor to consider is your time and additional costs, as many landlords value the time and the materials they’ll invest in a DIY repair at zero. Imagine this scenario: Several trips to the hardware store to buy specialized tools you’ll only use once, and the frustration of a lost weekend because you couldn’t finish the job. In these cases, hiring a professional is a better business move.
Repairs Landlords Can (Usually) DIY
When it comes to rental property repairs, the DIY-friendly category includes tasks that are high on impact but low on risk and skill needed. These are jobs where the cost of hiring a professional often outweighs the complexity of the work, and usually don’t impact the property’s safety, its habitability or the tenant’s comfort.
1 – Cosmetic Touch-Ups
We’ve discussed the importance of first impressions when a potential tenant visits a property, and that’s why we recommend landlords stay on top of cosmetic issues, especially between tenants. Fortunately, this category is the most DIY-friendly: If you have a free weekend, a toolkit and basic knowledge (or the willingness to learn what you don’t know), you can save money doing these high-impact, low-risk work:
- Painting: Paint wears out with time, and a coat of paint can make an old unit feel brand new and more modern with little effort. We recommend sticking to DIY for interior walls and baseboards, and hiring the pros for higher-complexity areas, like the exterior siding or high-ceiling foyers.
- Drywall Patching: Small dents from furniture or holes from picture hooks are easily fixed with spackle, a putty knife, and some light sanding.
- Cabinet Hardware: Swapping out old handles and knobs in the kitchen or bathroom is a quick job that refreshes the look of the room without a full renovation.
2 – Basic Landscaping & Curb Appeal
First impressions start before the applicant sets foot in the home. A well-maintained exterior is essential not just to attract good tenants, but to preserve and even increase your property’s market value:
- General Upkeep: Regular landscaping maintenance is the easiest way to prevent a property from looking run down. This includes trimming the lawn, pulling weeds from garden beds and re-mulching them, and trimming low-hanging branches or overgrown shrubs to keep the property looking neat and preventing damage to the siding and windows during high winds.
- Seasonal Cleanup: Every season in Alberta has its own maintenance items. In the fall, clearing fallen leaves is essential to prevent rotting lawn and keep the walkways safe. In the spring, a hose wash of the front walk or porch is enough to strip away the winter’s grit and salt, instantly improving the home’s exterior appearance. As for snow, while you, as a landlord, can take care of the winter prep tasks, you must define who’s in charge of the snow removal duty. We cover in detail the snow removal ins and outs here.
3 – Simple Swaps
These are easy, but essential tasks that keep the property’s appliances running smoothly and don’t involve hammering walls or handling electrical hardware, making them a quick and safe DIY work for most landlords:
- HVAC Filter: A 30-second task you have to make every 3 to 6 months and will save you thousands in the long run.
- Light Bulbs & Batteries: Keep the property well-lit and safe by updating to energy-efficient LED lighting, and testing and swapping the batteries in smoke and CO detectors every 6 to 12 months is a quick fix that helps prevent liability-inducing incidents and will only take you a few minutes.
- Replacing a Drippy and Rusty Faucet or Showerhead: These fixtures take daily wear and tear, and repairing an older model repeatedly isn’t worth it in most cases, especially when the most basic and newer models are affordable, can modernize the space, and the installation can take under an hour. However, make sure the plumbing system is in good condition: If the shutoff valves are corroded, the pipes show signs of deterioration, or there’s evidence of water damage, call a plumber instead. A simple replacement can turn into a larger repair if there are underlying plumbing issues.
Repairs Landlords Should Proceed With Caution With DIY
These are the repairs that fall in the middle in terms of effort, time and money. They may seem easy at first glance, but can quickly turn into multi-day projects if you find a problem and go wrong:
- Plumbing: While clearing a slow-draining sink with a zip-strip or plunging a toilet can be a DIY task, a fix that requires shutting off the main water valve is the territory of a licensed plumber.
- Appliances: You could easily replace a cracked refrigerator drawer, clean a dryer vent, or swap out a worn-out dishwasher door seal. But if the repair involves dealing with circuitry or gas lines, stop and call a professional with specialized diagnostic tools, because the risk of making the machine unrepairable (or becoming a safety hazard) is too high.
Rental Property Repairs That Need a Professional
These repairs imply significant legal, safety, or financial consequences, and attempting these yourself couldn’t just risk a botched repair; it puts your insurance coverage, your property’s structural integrity, and the safety of your tenants at risk:
- Electrical: Any work involving the home’s internal wiring is strictly for a licensed electrician. This includes any repair that involves a Marrette or a junction box: Replacing breakers, installing new outlets, repairing flickering lights, or upgrading electrical panels. DIY or unlicensed electrical work not only can void your insurance policy, but it could also be the cause of an electrical fire or an electrocution.
- Major Plumbing and Gas Lines: Water damage is the #1 source of insurance claims for rental properties. Moreover, gas line work has an extremely high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or explosions. So, for any work in water heater installations, main sewer line backups, gas stove connections, or any leak located inside a wall or subfloor, a professional plumber is your best option.
- Structural Integrity and Roofing: Anything that compromises your property’s roof and foundation is another high-risk job that is best in the hands of a trained professional. A seemingly good DIY roof work can be the source of severe hidden water damage, and the subsequent mold growth and wood rot that you avoid can cost tens of thousands of dollars to remediate. Furthermore, as the structure is what holds a home together, even the smallest load-bearing miscalculation in a DIY project can cause sagging floors and even collapse.
Lastly, to make any significant repair, alteration or extension in a rental property’s electrical and plumbing systems, and for roof or structure projects, you need a licensed contractor who holds a City of Calgary business license to pull a permit on your behalf, because even if you’re the owner, it’s not your residence. DIY works expose you to liability for not complying with the Alberta Building Code.
Sometimes It’s Better to Spend Than be Sorry
With the rising costs, it’s understandable that the landlords need to embark on DIY projects for rental property repairs. But the DIY approach only makes sense when applied to the right tasks. While painting and landscaping yourself can save you money while still getting a good result, getting your hands on a high-stakes repair could turn you from a handy landlord to a liable one, cancelling any money you could’ve potentially saved.
Sound property management is all about smart spending. By handling the simple cosmetics work yourself and delegating the complex repairs to trained professionals, you ensure that your property is always safe, compliant, and profitable for years to come.
