Why is finding qualified Maintenance techs that want to work so hard?

Why is finding qualified Maintenance techs that want to work so hard?

We have spent the last 3 months scheduling interviews and if they show up they have no basic skills. We are advertising on Indeed.

Help! where have you had success finding qualified team members?

We are in the Baltimore MD area.

They dont make em like they used to

I have the same issue Carmen Haworth Ford.

It’s a very sad state of affairs!! Struggling in Austin TX too!

We have the same issue in Delaware.

We are trying to find one for an 80 unit building. We had a temp for three days who just closed work orders without doing the work and sat in his car. We requested he not return.

isnt that the truth!

Demand a resume.

I’ve found it’s easier to find someone reliable who knows nothing and teach them. Not that finding a reliable person is the easiest.

Sara Young I wish we could do this however we are a 600 unit property built in the 40's that we recently purchased that has some deferred maintenance and is already short staffed.

If they show up for the interview, they don't go for, or pass the drug screen. We had such a terrible time at my last property. No one wants to work anymore.

Washington state is same.

I have one of the old school ones who is a master of all, he’s a hard worker and has a great attitude too!
He won’t work by the hour (1099 contract). It’s awesome that way. It’s worked out well for us for 5 years now.

I have never had good luck finding maintenance.

When you can specialize and make more money than you can on a property where you have to pick up trash, deal with idiots, deal with (sometimes) bad or inexperienced managers, and you're expected to know how to do everything in house with unrealistic timelines?
I wonder why they're scarce. ????

Sarah Trefz Watson
That is exactly correct. Add to that they are not treated as professionals. If they go to doing HVAC work they get paid more and treated better.

Carmen we had the same issue in Baltimore. There are several trade schools in the area we would tap into.

Krista Broz-Searles that is a great idea, I am very new to the area would you mind sharing some of the schools with me. You are welcome to pm me the info

Check out MMHA Service Training Academy. We are located in Owings Mills MD and train and place maintenance techs. PM me if you want more details.

Have you tried getting temps from a staffing agency? The last tech and leasing consultant we hired both started as temps. They fit in so well we begged them to stay!

Pay them a livable wage.

I find that I try hiring when I don’t have a need from local technical schools and can take time to train while not in crisis mode and these are typically my most reliable and excited to be there team members as they soak up experience. Set merit raises as they master new skills or achieve further certifications and trainings and it’s very motivating for these employees to really hit the ground running. If one site unable to carry fully burden we have them float through sister sites so everyone picks up a piece of the expense. When an opening comes up these folks backfill 1-2-3 and you identify your next candidate to start all over with again. Not a perfect science but very helpful

How about offering free housing after 90 days? Do you offer 401K? How about opportunities for advancements? Can this new employee also have a mentor from a sister community that shows him the ropes and checks up on new hires? Do you have an onbording program?

In my opinion this industry doesn’t pay enough for the skills that we are looking for. So it is difficult to find quality maintenance for what companies are willing to pay.

Adrianne Luper exactly. It is a systemic issue that needs to change. Companies want all the skills but don't want to pay for a talent like that. I don't think people realize that a talented maint that can do everything across the board that can work with management is so rare.
I also saw a post not too long ago judging a maint applicant by the way they phrased something or spelled whatever. That's not their talent. I've had maint guys who absolutely shined not be able to spell "table", but they could build a beautiful one.

Same issue in Ohio. $16 an hour for the amount of effort and physical labor required to do a good job is no incentive to be a good employee. It’s really unfortunate! They deserve so much more!!! We would be lost without our maintenance team

I am happy to chat, we have BeMore Staffing in Baltimore, MD. You don't need to use our services, but happy to try to give you some pointers. It is extra hard right now as techs that were laid off are getting the extra $600 of unemployment right now, a raise for many techs. Feel free to PM me and we can chat.

I want to know that too!! ???? We have the hardest time finding even a porter with just basic pool maintenance knowledge.

This has been a huge problem lately for everyone! My husband started hiring groundskeepers and then slowly training them up he got so frustrated. He also used temps to work with then for a while to see their work ethic and he said paying the money was worth it in the end

It’s the same every where. Wages need to increase

We have the SAME problem here in Pittsburgh PA. It's so frustrating. I feel your pain.

Same issue in Lakeland Florida

In order to get good maintenance techs, you have to get them to leave other companies by great pay and incentives. There aren't any great maintenance techs just unemployed. Or, you can train and groom your own

We have a place run by the County called Career Source Broward. Most counties have them. That is where I get my maintenance staff from. They have folks that actually match someone to their skills. Maybe you could look into that. I have never found Indeed to be helpful. also AARP has a program for those 55 and over, some with great skills and they pay them until you hire them or not.

We either get zero qualified on paper, or if they are, they won't show for interviews. Should they perhaps show for i/vs, they won't work for the wage offered.

Basically we're sharing a talent pool with the industrial sector when it come to maintenance. If you were someone with repair skills, would you apply to the jobs in a manufacturing facility for $25 - $30 per hour or to the apartments offering $15 - $20 per hour? Plainly stated, the multifamily industry pays bottom of the barrel wages for repair work and attracts bottom of the barrel talent as a result.

Eagles are out there, you just have to find the right places to find them.

We follow Dave Ramsey's hiring advice. Solid advice and they're almost at 1,000 teammates with an exceptional culture:
- Dave answers a question from a landscape business owner:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8TpJKAgzc
- PDF guide: cdn.ramseysolutions.net/media/hope/entre...s_to_a_good_hire.pdf

Another thing: Study Chick-fil-a's methods. They make incredible customer service teammates from high school students. Pretty incredible. If they do it, why can't you?

Hope that helps!

I'm in Charleston, SC a great place to live and work and have such difficulty finding a good maintenance tech. Can you help direct me? Thanks!

This is an issue nationwide; shortage of qualified techs. Most are finding that they are having to hire with little to no experience and train. Offer a lower rate at the time of hire and give them pay rate increase incentives when they get their certifications and have them sign education reimbursement agreements to stay with the company for 12 months if the company pays for it.

Instead of adding staff, why not use your existing staff more efficiently?

Enabling Remote Maintenance will allow you to leverage your maintenance experts or 3rd party experts so you can do more with your existing on-site staff. Remote maintenance is using technology (such as FacilGo) to remotely communicate and triage issues, get the right parts and services ordered, and communicate with residents to ensure that the job has been documented and completed. Remote Maintenance software platforms can work with your property management and maintenance system or be used stand-alone.

I'm a maintenance Manager in North New jersey, Our property went 3rd party in late 2019 on all maintenance tech's , porters ,and housekeepers. Since then, My building has gone through 13 different techs and 6 porters. I have 2 maintenance techs, 2 porters and a housekeeper. The longest tenure of any maintenance tech was 6 months...These guys lie their way on the job, then don't want to take on-call, don't even want to learn. Its a shame, because they get paid upwards of $22-25 hr , Not bad pay considering half dont have any HVAC certs or any real Multi-family experience.
This whole industry is changing, Ive worked for some good companies over the last 20 years. All the perks, bonuses, employee events are all going away...