Small landlords & PMs hub · By James Grokman, CEO, TapeAndFloat · Published October 25, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026

Preventive maintenance calendar for small landlords

A preventive maintenance calendar is one list of the recurring jobs each rental needs (HVAC filters, smoke alarm tests, gutters, water heaters, pest service) with how often each is done, when it was last done and when it is next due. It turns surprise repairs into scheduled ones.

Free download: Preventive maintenance calendar (Excel). One row per recurring task per property; type the last done date and how many months between visits, and the next due date, days left and status fill in. Flags tasks that are overdue or due soon, rows with no interval or no date, tasks with no one assigned and properties not on your list. Includes a Task Ideas sheet with example intervals. No email needed.

1. One row per task per property

List every recurring job for every property: the property, the unit (or blank for the whole building), the task, a category, how many months between visits, the date it was last done and who does it. One list for all properties shows what is coming due across the portfolio, not just at the place you visited last. Use the same property name on every row.

2. Next due = last done + the interval

Do not type next due dates by hand. Write the date the task was last done and the interval in months, and let the sheet add them. When the job is done, replace the last done date and the next due date moves forward on its own. If a task has never been done, put a first due date instead.

3. Pick intervals from the source, not a blog

How often a filter, water heater or HVAC system needs attention depends on the equipment, the filter and the building. Use the manufacturer's instructions, your insurer's requirements, your lease and your local rules. The calendar's Task Ideas sheet has example intervals only to get you started; change them to fit your properties.

4. Smoke alarms in Texas

Texas sets landlord smoke alarm duties in Property Code chapter 92, subchapter F. Section 92.255 requires at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom, plus one in the corridor serving multiple bedrooms and one on each level of a multi-level unit. Section 92.258 requires the landlord to confirm each alarm works at the start of each tenant's possession, by testing it with smoke, the test button or the manufacturer's procedure. During the lease, the duty to inspect or repair applies when the tenant reports a malfunction or asks for an inspection, and the landlord must respond within a reasonable time. Put a "test at move-in" step on your turnover list (see the unit turnover checklist) and log the date. Other states have their own rules.

5. Assign every task to someone

A task with no name next to it does not get done. Write the vendor or staff member on each row, and note whether the tenant needs notice before entry. Your lease and your state's rules say how much notice is required; follow them. Vendor paperwork for the people doing the work is covered in vendor insurance certificates and invoices.

6. Batch visits by property

Group tasks that fall in the same month at the same property, such as filters, a leak check under sinks and a GFCI test, into one visit and one tenant notice. Fewer trips and fewer entries make tenants happier and keep vendor bills down.

7. A monthly preventive maintenance check

Tasks overdue: schedule them first.
Tasks due in the next few weeks: book the vendor and send tenant notices.
Rows with no interval, no date or no one assigned: fix them.
Jobs finished this month: update the last done date and file the invoice or report.

Repairs tenants ask for still go through your work order list; see maintenance requests and work orders.

This is general information about running an office, not legal advice. Check your state's and city's rules and your lease.

Where an assistant helps

Vendor reports, invoices and tenant texts arrive in different places. During the pilot, TapeAndFloat sets this up one piece at a time in your own Google Sheet: it logs completed visits from what you forward, flags what is coming due or overdue, and drafts the vendor and tenant notices. You approve before anything goes out, and a real person reviews everything.

Free 60-day pilot: forward your job emails to the assistant, keep working in your own Sheet, and we flag what is slipping. During the pilot we set it up one piece at a time and a real person reviews everything. No new app, no card. Request a pilot spot.

More guides

Frequently asked questions

What is a preventive maintenance calendar?

One list of the recurring jobs each rental needs, such as HVAC filters, smoke alarm tests, gutters, water heaters and pest service, with the interval, the last done date and the next due date for each.

How often should HVAC filters be changed in a rental?

It depends on the system, the filter and the building. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and put that interval in your calendar; the free calendar's interval column is editable.

Do Texas landlords have to test smoke alarms?

Texas Property Code section 92.258 requires the landlord to confirm each smoke alarm works at the start of each tenant's possession, and to inspect or repair it during the lease when the tenant reports a malfunction or asks. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do I need property management software for preventive maintenance?

No. A spreadsheet with one row per task per property works if someone keeps the last done dates current; keeping it current and flagging what is due is what TapeAndFloat sets up during the pilot.

Free tools

Maintenance request & work order tracker (Excel): sets due dates by urgency and flags open work orders past due, emergencies with no vendor and invoices over the limit.
Lease violation and notice log (Excel): a Log sheet (one row per issue: date observed, property / unit, tenant, issue type, lease clause, what happened in plain facts, evidence / photos link, notice sent, date sent, delivery method, copy saved link, tenant response, follow-up date, resolved date, who handled), a Units sheet with the current tenant and a signed lease link, and Settings with example follow-up and open-too-long days; flags no evidence link, notices sent with no copy saved or no date or delivery method, no follow-up date, follow-ups overdue, open too long, nobody handling and units not on your list. Record-keeping only: your lease and local/state law set what notice is required and how it must be delivered; general information, not legal advice.
Utility transfer checklist / log (Excel): a Transfers sheet (one row per unit, per utility, per move-in, move-out or vacant period: provider, account #, who holds the account after, transfer or stop requested, confirmed and proof, meter reading with date and photo link, final bill date and amount, bill-back amount, sent and paid dates), a Units sheet with which utilities the tenant and owner pay per the lease, and Settings with example reminder, final-bill and follow-up days; flags transfers not requested before a move, no confirmation, missing readings or photos, final bills not in, bill-backs not sent or not paid and units not on your list. Your lease and local/state law set who pays and what can be billed back; general information, not legal advice.
After-hours maintenance request triage log (Excel): a Requests sheet (one row per request: received date and time, property / unit, caller, call-back number, issue category, what they said, safety message given, urgency chosen by a person (Emergency now / Next business day / Routine), who decided, vendor called, called-back time, scheduled for, resolved date, photos link), a Units sheet and Settings with an example category list and example call-back targets set by your own policy; flags no urgency set, emergencies with no call-back logged, call-backs later than your target, next-business-day requests not scheduled by the next workday, no vendor, open too long and units not on your list. Gas smell, fire or smoke: tell the caller to get out and call 911 first. General information, not legal advice.
Property obligations calendar (Excel): an Obligations sheet (one row per property per obligation: insurance renewal, property tax, HOA dues, registration or permit, loan escrow check; payee, policy or account #, due date, amount, who pays, escrow confirmed, reminder days, date paid, proof of payment link, renewal quote requested), a Properties sheet and editable example reminder days; flags bills past due and not paid, due soon, no due date, no amount, no proof of payment, escrow not confirmed, policies expiring with no renewal quote and unknown properties. Your county tax office, HOA and insurer set the real dates; general information, not tax, legal or insurance advice.
Move-in / move-out inspection log (Excel): an Inspections sheet (one row per unit per inspection: due date, date done, who, tenant present and signed, photos link, photos dated, damage noted, estimated cost, invoice link, forwarding address, status, deposit deadline from your own setting) and a room-by-room Room Checklist with move-in and move-out condition side by side; flags inspections not done on time, move-outs with no move-in inspection on file, missing photos or signatures, damage with no cost, costs with no invoice and deposit deadlines coming up. General information, not legal advice.
W-9 & 1099 vendor payment tracker for landlords (Excel): a Payees sheet for plumbers, HVAC, cleaners, handymen, attorneys and other vendors (entity type, W-9 received date, mailing address; never the full tax ID) and a Payments sheet (date, vendor, amount, method, property / unit), with a total per vendor for the tax year and flags for paid with no W-9 on file, W-9 after the first payment, over the reporting threshold (editable; $2,000 for 2026 payments per irs.gov), corporations to confirm, attorneys, missing address, card/app payments and payments to someone not on the list. Whether your rental must file 1099s: ask your tax preparer. General information, not tax advice.
Rental inquiry & showing log (Excel): one row per prospect (date received, source, property and unit, move-in date asked, first reply, showing date, next step and date, status, last contact), with flags for no reply yet, showings passed with no status update, shown with no follow-up, overdue next steps and stale inquiries; thresholds on a Settings sheet.
Rent roll & late fee tracker (Excel): one row per unit per month; shows each balance, the earliest day a late fee can apply and the Texas late-fee limit by building size, and flags rent past due, fees over the limit, charged too early or without written-lease notice, cash with no receipt, missed promises to pay and balances with no reminder sent.
Lease expiration & renewal tracker (Excel): one row per lease; enter the end date and the notice days from the lease and it works back to the notice deadline, your decide-by date and a reminder, and flags leases to decide on now, notice deadlines passed with nothing sent, leases past their end date, unanswered offers and renewals accepted but not signed.
Owner statement template (Excel): properties and owners, income and expenses logged once, and one statement row per property per month with rent collected, other income, expenses, management fee (editable %), reserve held and net due to the owner; flags expenses missing a receipt, uncategorized expenses, unknown properties and negative balances.
Preventive maintenance calendar (Excel): one row per recurring task per property with interval in months, last done, next due and days left; flags overdue and due-soon tasks, rows with no interval or date, no one assigned and unknown properties; Task Ideas sheet with example intervals and the Texas smoke alarm note (Prop. Code 92.255, 92.258).
Security deposit & move-out deductions tracker (Excel): sets each refund deadline from the move-out date (Texas default 30 days, editable) and flags deposits past due, due within 7 days, missing a forwarding address or with deductions lacking an invoice.
What the assistant catches: the list of things it watches for in your inbox and Sheet.
Vendor paperwork tracker (Excel): flags missing W-9s and COIs and vendor COIs expiring within 30 days.
Compare: spreadsheet vs software: how a Sheet plus an assistant stacks up against contractor software.

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