Why Communication Matters in Property Maintenance in 2025
When it comes to property maintenance and management, communication isn’t optional. Whether you’re handling routine property repairs or coordinating emergency fixes, how you communicate with tenants—and how quickly—has a direct impact on satisfaction and retention.
New research, organized by LeadSimple, Peter Lohmann’s Newsletter, and conducted by the Urban Institute, shows that communicating maintenance issues effectively is one of the biggest challenges landlords face today. In 2025, DIY landlords and property managers need to be staying ahead of maintenance problems with better systems and clearer communication.
Let’s break down why communication is critical for better tenant satisfaction and retention, and how Hendricks Property Management is setting a higher standard.
🧠 How Strong Is Your Communication Game?
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Table of contents
📊 The Numbers Don’t Lie: Communication + Maintenance = Top Pain Points
According to the 2024 Property Management Trends Report, conducted by LeadSimple and The Harris Poll in collaboration with Peter Lohmann’s newsletter:
26% of property owners say communication is one of their top day-to-day challenges
Among those who use a property manager, speed of communication ranked as the 3rd most important evaluation factor, behind only professionalism (51%) and tenant satisfaction (42%)
What’s often left unsaid: most of those communication issues center on maintenance coordination, updates, and repairs.
🔄 Maintenance Problems Don’t Lose Tenants—Silence Does
At Hendricks, we’ve seen it firsthand: when tenants feel heard during routine property repairs or emergency situations, they stay. When they’re ignored, delayed, or confused, they leave.
©2025 Property Meld: The Maintenance Minute Newsletter
And it’s not just about being “available.” The best property managers have systems in place that:
Keep tenants informed on the status of repairs
Communicate maintenance timelines clearly
Offer multiple ways for tenants and property owners to reach the team
Respond quickly—even outside standard hours
When it comes to property maintenance, communication isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a retention tool.
💻 Tech-Forward Communication for Smarter Property Maintenance
We don’t just “try harder”—we use modern software that makes work order communication seamless for tenants and our clients.
At Hendricks Property Management, we’ve invested in a tech stack built for maintenance transparency, including:
A cloud-based owner portal with maintenance logs, invoices, and real-time updates
Automated status alerts for work orders
Integrated texting and email workflows to streamline repair coordination
Emergency communication tracking after hours
Tenant portals with live repair tracking and self-service tools
📲 Every request, update, and response is logged and visible, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Our systems are designed to take the stress out of communicating maintenance issues—for everyone involved.
🛠️ What Really Matters During Maintenance? (It’s Not Just the Repair)
Maintenance and repairs are still the #1 challenge for self managing landlords—41% of investors cited it as their top concern. But here’s what’s often overlooked: how well you communicate about maintenance matters more than the work itself.
🔍 National data shows:
High-impact maintenance issues (that influence renewals):
Flooring
Roofing & leaks
Water softeners
Septic/sewer
Pools
Low-impact issues (less likely to affect renewals):
Painting
Driveways
Towel bars & small cosmetic items
The takeaway? Tenants don’t just want things fixed—they want to know when, how, and what’s happening throughout the maintenance process.
📞 What Today’s Tenants Expect
Today’s tenants expect more than just a fix when something breaks—they want transparency, timeliness, and clarity throughout the entire maintenance process.
They look for:
Quick acknowledgment of their maintenance requests
Clear updates on timing and status
Communication that respects their time and living space
Tech-friendly options like text alerts and online repair tracking
When tenants feel looped in—not left guessing—they’re more likely to stay long-term. That’s why our system at Hendricks is built around proactive communication, real-time updates, and making the maintenance experience feel predictable, not stressful.
💻 You’re Tired of Doing It All Yourself and You Know It’s Costing You
Hendricks Property Management is built to help rental property owners reduce stress, retain tenants longer, and protect ROI through smart maintenance and better communication. But, we want you to understand just how much poor communication and turnaround time on repairs is costing you every time your phone rings with a new problem from a tenant. Check out our interactive tool that shows you how communication creates a ripple effect through your entire nest egg.
