How to Become an Apartment Building Superintendent

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

An apartment building superintendent is in charge of the overall maintenance of the building. The superintendent takes care of routine maintenance, keeps the public areas clean, handles minor repairs and is in charge of hiring and supervising outside contractors brought in for bigger jobs he can't handle. The superintendent often gets the free use of an apartment complete with utilities. Many often get a salary on top of this although typically it is not a large sum. Many apartment building owners prefer to hire couples as their apartment managers, especially for larger buildings, but there is no reason a single person would not be hired as long as this person has the proper training and background.

Steps

1
Educate yourself. You need a minimum of a high school diploma as well as a working knowledge of mechanical and electrical maintenance. This training is often offered at vocational training schools or through community colleges. Some colleges offer degrees in property management, and building owners will often choose the college graduate over others with less formal training.
2
Learn handyman skills. Apartment building managers are normally expected to make small repairs such as replacing broken tiles, patching small holes in a wall, replacing broken windows and painting. Other jobs could be unclogging pipes, replacing plugs on electrical appliances, routine maintenance on heating and air conditioning units like changing filters and cleaning. If the building has a laundry room, washer and dryer repair skills would also be needed.

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3
Hone your people skills. An apartment superintendent needs to work with many people from all walks of life. The superintendent must be diplomatic, but able to settle disputes between tenants so both parties are satisfied and coordinate repair work schedules to the best advantage of the tenants while still providing the contractor with adequate access to the job site.
4
Learn organizational skills. An apartment superintendent must be organized. Routine maintenance tasks must be performed on schedule, but the schedule must be flexible enough to allow for emergencies. Some routine chores you will encounter are listed here.
- Perform various cleaning tasks in public areas. This includes vacuuming and/or scrubbing lobbies, stairs, elevators and hallways.
- Outside maintenance such as grass cutting, weeding, tree trimming, window washing and leaf collecting are all tasks that the apartment building supervisor would be expected to handle. The building owner will expect all of these chores and more to be handled on a regular basis and to receive scheduled reports from the superintendent.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I get tenants to stop letting their dogs poop in hallways?

Community Answer

Speak to the management office about it, there should be some way to get them to stop. Or put up cameras (with management's approval), and let the tenants know there will be evictions if the behavior continues.
Question

What are the exact classes I would need to take?

Community Answer

There are no exact classes. Classes in management, business and even sociology can help, but it is usually a combination of education and experience.
Question

What experience do I need to become a superintendent?

Community Answer

Experience isn't strictly necessary, that is, you aren't required to have a set work history in order to qualify. To become a superintendent, you must prove yourself capable of maintaining a property well, either appreciating, or at least slowing the depreciation through timely repairs, routine cleaning and maintenance, negotiating with service providers, etc. You must also prove yourself able to resolve conflicts between residents so they are as respectful and pleasant as possible to each other, and possibly handle evictions as well.

Warnings

Keep receipts and other paperwork regarding free or discounted rent and utilities to report at tax time. It is usually considered as part of your earnings.

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An apartment building superintendent is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with little time off.

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