The Contractor Shortage: How to Build a "Gold-Level" Vendor List as a Small Landlord

Why Finding Good Contractors Is Your Biggest Operational Challenge 

Ask any self-managing landlord what frustrates them most, and "finding reliable contractors" consistently ranks at or near the top. Not because contractors don't exist, but because the good ones are booked solid, don't return calls from small clients, and have little incentive to prioritize a landlord with five units over a property management company with five hundred. 

The contractor shortage is real and documented. The construction industry has faced chronic labor shortages for years, with hundreds of thousands of unfilled positions across trades. For landlords, this translates to longer wait times, higher prices, and a smaller pool of qualified professionals willing to take on residential rental work.

Property management companies solve this with volume. They send enough work to their preferred vendors to guarantee priority treatment. When a management company calls with an emergency repair, the plumber shows up because that management company represents forty calls a year, not four. 

Individual landlords don't have that leverage. But they can build vendor relationships that provide reliability and reasonable pricing through a different approach: consistency, respect, and smart relationship management. 

The Seven Trades Every Landlord Needs 

Before you start building your list, know what you're building. A complete vendor network for residential rental properties covers seven core trades: 

Plumber. The most frequently needed trade for rental properties. Leaks, clogs, toilet repairs, water heater issues, and frozen pipes. You'll call a plumber more often than any other contractor. 

Electrician. Less frequent but higher-stakes. Outlet issues, breaker problems, fixture installations, and code violations. Always use licensed electricians — electrical work done incorrectly creates fire hazards and liability. 

HVAC technician. Seasonal demand makes HVAC techs hard to book when you need them most. Build this relationship before summer or winter, not during the crisis. 

General handyman. Your most versatile vendor. Door repairs, drywall patches, minor plumbing, appliance installations, and the hundred small jobs that don't justify calling a specialist. A great handyman saves you from overpaying specialists for simple work. 

Locksmith. Lockouts, rekeying between tenants, deadbolt installations, and key duplication. You'll need one at every tenant turnover and occasionally for emergencies. 

Appliance repair technician. Refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, dryers, and ovens break. Repair is almost always cheaper than replacement if you can find someone who still works on the brand and model you have. 

Cleaning service. Turnover cleaning between tenants, plus occasional deep cleaning for issues like pet odor or smoke damage. A reliable cleaning crew can turn a unit in 24 to 48 hours instead of the week it takes when you're scrambling. 

For each trade, you want a primary vendor and at least one backup. Your primary plumber can't make it until Thursday? Your backup can come Wednesday. Building redundancy into your vendor network is what prevents a three-day wait from becoming a week-long tenant complaint. 

How to Find and Vet Contractors 

Finding contractors is the easy part. Finding good ones is the challenge. Here's a process that works: 

Start with referrals from other landlords. Local landlord associations, BiggerPockets forums, and real estate investment groups in your area are the best sources. A contractor recommended by another landlord who manages similar properties has already been vetted for the specific type of work you need.

Verify licensing and insurance. This is non-negotiable. Every contractor working on your property should carry general liability insurance and, where applicable, workers' compensation insurance. If an uninsured contractor gets injured on your property, you're exposed. If an unlicensed contractor does faulty work that causes further damage, your insurance may not cover it. Ask for certificates of insurance and verify them with the issuing company. 

Start with a small job. Before you commit to a contractor for a $3,000 project, test them with a $200 one. A simple faucet repair or drywall patch tells you everything you need to know: do they show up on time, communicate clearly, do quality work, and charge fairly? 

Check their responsiveness. The most skilled contractor in the world is useless if they take three days to return your call. During the vetting process, pay attention to how quickly they respond to your initial outreach. That response time is a preview of what you'll get when you have an emergency. 

Get everything in writing. Estimates, timelines, scope of work, and payment terms should all be documented before work begins. Contractors who resist putting things in writing are contractors you should avoid. 

Building Loyalty Without Volume 

You can't offer a contractor forty jobs a year like a property management company can. But you can offer something many of their larger clients don't: respect, consistency, and prompt payment. 

Pay immediately. Nothing builds contractor loyalty faster than paying the same day the work is completed. Most contractors are used to chasing invoices for thirty, sixty, or ninety days. When you pay within 24 hours, consistently, you become their favorite client. They'll prioritize your calls because they know working for you means getting paid fast. 

Be organized. When you call with a work order, have all the information ready: the property address, the unit number, the tenant's name and phone number, a description of the issue, any diagnostic information you've gathered, and your budget expectations. Contractors appreciate landlords who don't waste their time. 

Respect their schedule. Don't expect same-day service for non-emergencies. Give contractors reasonable timelines, and be flexible about scheduling when possible. The landlord who says "anytime this week works" gets better treatment than the one who demands "today by 3 PM" for a slow-dripping faucet. 

Provide steady work. Even if you only have five units, you can concentrate your work with a small number of contractors. Your plumber gets all your plumbing calls. Your handyman gets all your general repairs. Consistency of relationship matters more than volume of jobs. 

Setting Spending Authorization Rules 

One of the most important decisions in your contractor management system is your spending authorization framework. This determines when a contractor can proceed without your approval and when they need to check with you first. 

A common structure: auto-approve repairs under $200. This covers most routine fixes — faucet cartridges, outlet replacements, drain clearings, and minor plumbing work. The contractor can complete

the job without calling you, which speeds up resolution and reduces your involvement. 

For repairs between $200 and $500, require a quote before proceeding. The contractor assesses the issue, sends you a text with the estimate, and waits for your approval. This gives you oversight without creating excessive delays. 

For anything over $500, require a written estimate and potentially a second opinion. Major repairs, system replacements, and structural work deserve more scrutiny. A few extra days for evaluation can save you thousands. 

These thresholds should be communicated to your contractors, documented in your records, and ideally managed through a system that tracks approvals and expenses automatically. The goal is to give contractors enough autonomy to work efficiently while maintaining your control over significant spending decisions.