Vantaggi
Lots of freedom, as long as you get the job done management pretty much leaves you alone. They brought back the 401k match.
Svantaggi
The drawback to being a roving maintenance tech is the driving, usually from one end of the city to the other on a daily basis. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a phone call saying I need to be on the other side of the city (40-50 miles) immediately because I need to open up a door for a vendor that is on site and waiting. When I say it'll take at least an hour if not more to get there,then I become the bad guy and I should have known I needed to be there - I lost my ESP abilities when I was 1. Property managers really don't want to interact with the tenants unless things are going well and everyone is in a good mood. If the tenant is upset for whatever reason, the maintenance guy has to deal with it. I've had to collect rent from tenants who wanted to hold the rent payment because the broker had promised them new carpet and paint and its been 6 months and nothing has happened. I've been cursed at and belittled and told how unprofessional the management is. I've told the property manager these issues and it gets ignored. I've even had the property manager on the phone and tried to hand the phone to the tenant so the two of them can work out the issue and the property manager is telling me "no, no, I don't need to talk to them". Over the years I have found that if the maintenance tech has a problem with the tenant, building owner, fellow employee or even a manager, the maintenance tech has to work out the issue on their own, upper management figures if they ignore it, it will go away. No raises have been given in 6 years, a lot of the benefits have been reduced, medical insurance has gone up $1000 per year. A lot of empty promises over the years. Promises of advancement, raises, and more responsibilities if I would take certain trade courses and certifications. Once I completed my end of the bargain, management would yank the rug out from under me and tell me those options are no longer available.
