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What does a Maintenance Person do?

Patti Kate
Patti Kate

A job as a maintenance person includes doing general repair work on equipment or property. This may involve work in commercial buildings or personal property. The person may work as an independent contractor or as part of a maintenance team.

The multi-faceted skills of a maintenance worker typically involve carpentry and electrical work, to name a few. The worker is generally skilled in woodworking tasks, such as measuring and fitting cabinets. He will also repair doors, cabinets, and damaged walls. Changing locks on doors or fixing a door hinge that is not working are some of the more simple tasks for someone with this job.

Maintenance workers must keep electrical systems running properly.
Maintenance workers must keep electrical systems running properly.

The electrical aspect of a maintenance person's duties include wiring and electrical circuit troubleshooting. He will typically be able to correct electrical shortages or repair circuit breakers, and may be able to install new circuit breakers and cables as well. The person will install electrical outlets and face plates in apartments or other facilities, as well as repairing lighting fixtures.

A maintenance man making repairs to an air conditioning unit.
A maintenance man making repairs to an air conditioning unit.

In some cases, this job description may spell out duties such as relocating furniture or other heavy items. Some maintenance workers also do cleaning tasks as well. In facilities such as churches, schools, or businesses, he may remove trash from the premises or be involved in washing and disinfecting materials.

For general repair work in apartment and townhomes, a maintenance person may need to install shower stalls and shower rods, or do minor plumbing tasks, so many people in this job have good plumbing skills. Repairing leaky faucets, stopping overflowing toilets, or changing defective washers in sinks may also be some of the duties that he attends to. Repairing or installing hot water heaters and changing air conditioner filters are also typically part of the job.

A maintenance person re-caulking a bathtub.
A maintenance person re-caulking a bathtub.

In some aspects of maintenance work, seasonal and annual care of property grounds may be part of the duties that are assigned. This may include yard work, such as lawn mowing and fertilization. The worker may also care for shrubbery and remove fallen tree limbs.

There are various handyman jobs a maintenance worker attends to, some of which do not fall into any particular classification. Maintenance work typically involves skills in window placement and installation, as well as measuring and installing fixture parts. Door installation or repairs are often his responsibility too.

A maintenance person applies a skim coating to a wall after repairing a crack.
A maintenance person applies a skim coating to a wall after repairing a crack.

A maintenance person may also do simpler tasks, like painting small areas or repairing damaged or cracked walls. He may be required to sand drywall as well. Miscellaneous tasks may also include resealing or re-caulking a bathtub using a utility knife, silicone caulk, and a caulking gun.

Discussion Comments

anon932934

Maintenance Jobs are great, but have some drawbacks. Anyone in these apartment, town homes, or condominiums complaining to the proper state agencies can get you in trouble for not having a license to perform these tasks, if required by unions or state agencies under regulations passed by Boards of Plumbers and Electricians. Departments of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

The on the job training received is often not accepted as experience towards being allowed to apply for the exams to get a license, and it does not transfer state to state. Although you probably will know more about what you're dealing with than a licensed person.

Ted41

@Pharoah - That does sound like they do different things every day. I guess you would never be bored if you decided to work as a maintenance person. You'd probably also be learning new things every day, which some people might find very stimulating.

Pharoah

It sounds like a maintenance person really has to be a jack of all trades. You have to know how to do plumbing, electrical work, and all kinds of other things. I know at my apartment, I see the maintenance people doing different things all the time.

Not only do they come when something breaks in the apartment, they also maintain the rest of the building and the grounds. Also, I've seen them getting an apartment ready for new tenants and they really do a lot. They rip up the carpet and put in the new carpet, repaint, and do a lot of cleaning. I've also seen them swapping out the appliances.

indemnifyme

@JaneAir - I've found that a lot of jobs at apartment complexes offer a discount on rent. I think if you're going to be a maintenance person, working for an apartment complex is a good option because of the extra benefits that can really offset your living expenses and leave more money for savings or other things.

JaneAir

@profess - I think the benefits to a maintenance job probably vary by where you work (just like a lot of other jobs.) For example, I saw a job advertisement at my apartment complex the other day that included a maintenance person job description.

The salary wasn't too bad, and they also offered health benefits and very cheap rent at the apartment complex. It looked like a pretty good gig to me. Too bad I'm not very handy or I would totally consider doing something like that.

profess

Do maintenance jobs typically provide health insurance benefits? Do any of them?

BAU79

I did various types of facility maintenance for my dad all throughout high school and college. He ran his business out of an old seed factory that was much more space than he needed. It seemed like every day something would spring a leak, break down, or fall over and it was my job to keep the whole place taped together.

It was not the most thrilling work, but I learned a lot of handy mechanical skills and I was young and happy to be using my body. I work all day at a desk now and sometimes I truly miss getting dirty, sweaty and bloody in the basement of my dad's old factory.

gravois
Can I get any conceivable type of maintenance job without a college degree? I am very interested in this kind of work but I never went to college and don't plan on going any time soon.

I know that basic maintenance jobs, the janitorial type, don't require any education at all but what about the more advanced maintenance jobs in high tech factories or labs? Do I need college, or just specialized training?

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    • Maintenance workers must keep electrical systems running properly.
      By: mikkolem
      Maintenance workers must keep electrical systems running properly.
    • A maintenance man making repairs to an air conditioning unit.
      By: Lisa F. Young
      A maintenance man making repairs to an air conditioning unit.
    • A maintenance person re-caulking a bathtub.
      A maintenance person re-caulking a bathtub.
    • A maintenance person applies a skim coating to a wall after repairing a crack.
      By: yellowj
      A maintenance person applies a skim coating to a wall after repairing a crack.
    • A maintenance person should be able to fix a leaky faucet or perform other basic repairs.
      By: Elenathewise
      A maintenance person should be able to fix a leaky faucet or perform other basic repairs.
    • A maintenance person may be responsible for fixing pools.
      By: Moultipix
      A maintenance person may be responsible for fixing pools.
    • Simple maintenance tasks can include using a utility knife.
      By: J and S Photography
      Simple maintenance tasks can include using a utility knife.
    • Maintenance workers usually have carpentry skills.
      By: stokkete
      Maintenance workers usually have carpentry skills.
    • A maintenance person typically has their own tools.
      By: Karen Roach
      A maintenance person typically has their own tools.