Brunswick, MD
Landlord Maintenance in Brunswick, MD
Nothing on a rental's maintenance list is ever urgent. That is the whole problem. The gutter that overflows on the same corner, the exterior door that swelled and now needs a shoulder, the soft board on the back steps, the dryer vent nobody has opened in three years — every one of them can wait another month. So they do, and then it is eleven items at once, the tenant has stopped being patient, and the cheap version of each repair has quietly turned into the expensive version.
Brunswick makes that worse than most towns around here. A lot of the rental stock is older frame and brick housing on hill lots, which means wood trim, real gutters, porches that have settled, and water that has somewhere to run once it gets past the downspout. The units rent well — it is a MARC town and commuters want them — so owners who don't live in Brunswick are a big share of who owns them.
What the work looks like
This is labor on a list, not property management. We don't manage properties. You send the list, or we walk the property and build one, and then it gets worked in one visit instead of six.
Typical items:
- Water and weather. Gutters cleared and resecured, downspouts put back on the extension so the runoff ends up away from the foundation, a basement window well dug out, caulk redone where it has let go, a hose bib shut off and drained before the first hard freeze.
- Doors, locks and windows. A door planed and rehung after it swelled, a storm door that won't latch, a deadbolt that has to be lifted to turn, locks rekeyed between tenants, screens re-splined, sash cords and sticking windows.
- Interior punch list. Drywall patched and painted, anchors and nail holes filled, a toilet reset, a leaking shutoff replaced, a loose stair rail, closet doors back on their track, blinds swapped, a vanity resealed.
- Decks, steps and exterior wood. Soft boards cut out and replaced, railings tightened, loose steps rebuilt. If the deck is past repairing, it comes out whole and the debris goes with us.
- Hauling. Whatever a tenant left in the basement or the shed, the appliance in the garage, the brush pile behind the fence. It goes on the same visit rather than becoming its own appointment.
- Dryer vents and the small stuff. Lint-packed vents, bath fans that don't move air, a smoke detector chirping since August.
What we won't take on
Roof replacement, HVAC installation or repair, and anything that belongs to an electrician at the panel. No tree removal. If something at the property turns out to be one of those, you will hear it the day we find it, so you can get the right person in rather than lose two weeks discovering it. If a job needs a permit, the property owner pulls it; most items on a maintenance list don't.
What affects the quote
The length of the list, mostly — six items on one visit price better per item than six separate calls, which is the honest reason to let them group up a little rather than not at all.
Then how far into something each item goes. A soft deck board is a board. A soft deck board over a joist that is also soft is a different job, and you should know which one you are buying before we start. Access matters too: a hillside back yard with no gate wide enough for a wheelbarrow adds time to anything that has to come out of it.
Appliance disposal is worth flagging up front. Refrigerators, freezers, AC units and dehumidifiers carry an added fee on the quote because of the refrigerant. It is shown on the quote, not added at the end. Mattresses are $28 each.
Quotes are free, depend on the size of the job, and usually come back the same day. They are good for 30 days. There is a $100 minimum on any job. Payment by cash, check, card or any payment app.
How long it takes
A short list — gutters, a couple of repairs, a vent, some hauling — is a single day. A list that has built up over a year or two, or a property being brought back after a rough tenancy, is two to three days. Exterior wood and anything that opens up once it is cut into needs more runway than that, and we will say so when we price it rather than halfway through.
Weekend work is available, and phones are answered Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
If you don't live near the property
Most of this work is for owners who don't. You don't need to be there — a lockbox or a code lock is enough. You get told what we found, not only what we fixed, which is usually the part that decides what you spend next spring.
Towns served
Brunswick, Frederick, Middletown, Walkersville and Thurmont, plus Jefferson, Urbana, New Market and Mount Airy. We are based on Jefferson Pike in Frederick and work about 25 miles out from there, further for the right job. James (Jay) King is the owner, and the owner is on every job.
Get a written price
Text a few photos and your address to 240-315-7030, call, or use the quote form. The quote is free, in writing and good for 30 days, and it usually comes back the same day. Every job has a $100 minimum, and you pay when it's done: cash, check, card or any payment app.
Jay's Property Management LLC, 5738 Jefferson Pike, Frederick, MD 21703. The owner, James (Jay) King, is on every job, hands-on since 2019. Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM. info@jayspropertymanagement.com