NARPM Radio The Why and When to Hire a Handyman
Apr 1, 2026
Robert Dell’Osso, President/Principal Property Manager at MasterKey and NARPM advocacy leader, shares his journey from DIY maintenance to hiring a full-time handyman. He discusses when to bring on in-house maintenance, pros and cons of a separate maintenance company, transparency on contractor invoices, and strategies for running turnovers and field teams to reduce vacancy time.
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Handyman Diverted To Higher Paying Job And No‑Showed
- Pete shared a handyman no-show story where the tech diverted to a higher‑paying tile job instead of a scheduled call.
- This illustrates why relying on independent handymen can leave PMs vulnerable to schedule changes.
Let Handyman Triage Tenants And Call Experts For Major Work
- Use an in-house handyman for tenant-request maintenance and triage, but route specialty or replacement work to licensed pros.
- Robert's handyman handles locks, outlets, faucets and flags jobs that need plumbers or electricians.
Use A Separate Maintenance Entity For Liability And Acceptance
- Keep the maintenance arm legally separate to reduce owner pushback and protect liability.
- Robert runs maintenance as a separate LLC/EIN with insurance and worker's comp so owners accept invoices and liability is covered.