“Prevention is better than cure.” Nice proverb, but analytical anticipation is better than both. Some things are predictable, even inevitable, like the proverbial “death and taxes.” Planning is not natural: effort is required to provide solutions that alleviate the spectrum of problems that have not yet manifested. Meanwhile, the lack of urgency placates all but the most determined to deprioritize preparations. The natural tendency is to switch from proaction to procrastination. Few could imagine an ambulance arriving at an emergency without oxygen or bandages on board; life and death situations do not allow such dereliction of duty. Maintenance is rarely critical, so careless disorganization is tolerated. Preparation reduces stress and, once disciplined, requires much less effort. Ask yourself, “What will it take to motivate me to take action?”
Homeowners who do their own maintenance, take heart! owner’s boot focuses on being prepared for potential emergencies and maintenance issues, over the course of an academic year. How do we best prepare and utilize storage space inside a vehicle: car, van, etc. For quick access to the tools and spare parts needed for a quick repair The owners boot o The vehicle is ideally compartmentalized into appropriately sized pockets to hold the minimum number of specific parts likely to be needed at any one time.
The goal is to avoid time-consuming, unnecessary duplicate trips to DIY stores to purchase items that are likely to be needed sooner or later. Instead, an efficient operative could be on the next job. Carrying a spare faucet can save more than time, it can prevent a leak from turning into a flood! But without foresight, these items are not at hand when needed.
Having everything one might need can be unwise. A problem with having a well stocked Owners Boot it arises by searching for what is needed among what is not needed. Too many spare parts clutter both the trunk and the mind. By the time the trunk has been quickly emptied and refilled during an emergency search, a leak may have turned into a flood. So how do you strike the balance between carrying too many and too few spares?
The first step is to analyze an average of twelve months of calls. Good record keeping makes this job very easy. Real estate agents have expensive software that details exactly what, where, and how many different categories of calls occur per year. In its simplest form, this could translate to a printed laminate table of the four seasons. The needs of each station then correspond to the contents of the Owners Boot . This table indicates progressively Boot changes at the end of each season. For those without state-of-the-art software, experience and memory may suffice, until a clearer pattern emerges after awareness of the need to keep records. Over time, it will become apparent what is needed. The reason for the twelve month analysis is logically that there are four seasons in a year, each with its own unique demands. In winter a broken boiler can be an emergency, unlike in summer. So the content of The owners boot can vary to include small portable electric radiators in cold seasons.
During the summer, say between student rentals, your shower and tub drains are likely to have a ‘plug’ of hair that, when it dries, solidifies and blocks the drain. Hair thinner in a bottle can be quickly poured down every drain. Shower heads and hoses may need to be replaced. Likewise, kitchen and bathroom sealing putties. Sealants – Required to replace defective or moldy seals have a short shelf life before solidifying in the tube, so order sparingly based on likely demand. Pay more for mold-resistant caulk because it lasts much longer and most of those costs are labor; so get it right the first time! These small jobs, if done in passing, can reduce maintenance between leases and therefore reduce stress, but only if one has the means at the time to observe defects, for example during inspections or visits not scheduled to handle emergency work.
The owners boot should include separate compartments to store easily accessible tools and spare parts for each job.
The whole process only works well if there is occasional inventory. Therefore, each time a spare part is consumed, it must be replaced the next time at the builder’s dealer so that it is ready for the next time it is required. Broken pieces are disposed of or thrown into a recycling bin. The latter parts should only be stored if there is a reasonable prospect that they can later be cannibalized for repair, rather than replacing other potential items. Avoid creating clutter by holding on to rarely used items. Throw away any used parts worth less than £1, as they will cost more than they are worth to find; buy a new one when needed. Don’t store items that are used less frequently than once a year, unless it would prevent a disaster to have them. We’ve all heard stories of those who throw our stuff away only to need it a week later; if they had been saved, they would never be found among all the other things that “might come in handy one day”.
to keep well organized owners boot, Ideally, a separate store is required, but not essential. An easily accessible garage with shelves labeled by category is perfect. This allows the trunk to be replenished without visiting the DIY store. Only when such a visit is essential are used items replaced. An inventory allows each part to be identified, as suggested below. This also shows the remaining items, compared to the ideal number stored. Preventive time requires discipline, which pays off handsomely in the reduction of waste, labor costs, stress, frustration, disasters and disappointments. Tenants appreciate a landlord who is able to remedy an instant repair, especially if the service provided exceeds the customer’s expectations. Often a tenant will wait until a showing to announce a faulty installation. I received a list on one occasion and when I announced that all the required parts were on my vehicle and would be replaced prior to my departure. Then the tenants asked me with some disbelief if I had a big van. “No,” I replied, “just a well-stocked owners boot.” Do you think they were impressed…? Praise and recommendations followed for just doing my job! Not used to such a quick response, the student tenants thought it was commendable.
Landlords sometimes spot items the contractors missed and are easier to fix by walking by than by calling the contractors, but only if the boots is stocked.
The following is an example summary of a Owners boot. Advice: Always buy the same type of shower, vacuum cleaner, hose, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. so that they are always compatible, reducing the number of spare parts in stock.
Summer boots for owners: A series of categorized and labeled clear plastic containers allows the contents to be viewed from the outside of the box or container for each category. Such intuitive logic limits any search for parts to the only place it should be. Always store spare parts and tools in the space decided when creating the storage system to meet individual needs.
Safety – Apron, gloves, goggles, – Fire extinguisher/blanket First Aid Kit.
Gardening tools: pruning shears, hedge trimmers and herbicides, etc. When waiting for a potential tenant, it’s easy to prune while you wait: another job done with minimal fuss that adds to favorable first impressions and a feeling that the property is appreciated, installing the perception that tenants should keep it!
Lights: Lamps/bulbs have a selection as needed for each house. Consider swapping out incompatible lighting fixtures with ones that are used more frequently. Having spent a fortune a year doing exactly that, the cost was saved tenfold on electricians bills. Any non-standard fixture is beyond the average renter. Stick to consistent basic accessories.
Adhesives / Fasteners – PTFE / Gaffer / electrical tape, super glue, impact adhesive, screws, nuts and bolts. Anything that connects one thing to another.
Fillers: Putty, Caulking/Brown, White, and Magnolia – These are tall, cylindrical-shaped tubes that are ideally stored alongside the adhesive tubes. Mouthpieces are easily lost and it is best to store them separately in a nozzle container
Paint – Small amount of white emulsion and magnolia for marking. A pencil eraser is equally useful.
Cleaners: Kitchen and bathroom carpet/mouse, oven sprays, descaler, dishwashing liquid for fat”,oven prideBag for oven chrome, bleach, etc. Solvents such as white spirit and WD40.
Sacks – Debris Sacks, Trash Bag: Black, Purple (Canterbury) Concession Sacks, Vacuum Bags.
Cloths – Dusters, scouring pads, sponges, ideal for mopping up small leaks.
Utensils: mop, small bucket, dustpan, brush, vacuum cleaner.
Spare parts: shower heads/hoses/washers, curtain hooks.
ToolBox – Torch, pump-pliers, drill, bits with special square tips for assembly and DIY repair, tape measure, camera and drill.
Keys – with unique access identification codes.
The winter boot of the owners would be restocked to include: portable radiators, drain plungers to dislodge solidified grease in cold pipes, and a 15mm and 22mm pipe splice kit to repair most split pipes.
Each business has its own peculiarities. The principles outlined here can be adopted to meet the needs of almost any business.