Benchmarking Repair & Maintenance Performance in SFR

How do your R&M operations stack up? Lessen’s proprietary data reveals how top operators are managing cost, speed, and quality across 680,000+ work orders.

For Single Family Rental operators, repair and maintenance isn’t just an expense, it’s a strategic lever. R&M directly impacts NOI and is one of the most important factors in whether residents choose to renew. But most operators don’t have the visibility they need to evaluate how their R&M program stacks up, or where the opportunities to improve really lie.

With more than $470 million in vended spend analyzed, Lessen’s benchmarking effort reveals how R&M costs and outcomes vary across the SFR landscape. Drawing from structured work order data across Lessen’s platform and beyond, this case study sheds light on how forward-looking operators are using better data, process, and scale to drive results.

What's Inside?

Analysis of over 680,000 work orders across major SFR markets
Per-work-order cost breakdowns by category, including General Maintenance, HVAC, and Plumbing
Regional spending trends, from the Sunbelt to the Midwest and coasts
Real-world benchmarks for total annual spend per home
Insights into technician efficiency and avoided work order volume

Key Takeaways:

Total vended spend per home ranges from $1,000 to $3,100, depending on market and operations
General Maintenance and HVAC are the highest-cost categories across portfolios
Time-to-complete and resident satisfaction vary more by category than by operator
Operators with stronger preventative strategies reduce unnecessary work orders by 10–20%
Lessen clients drive significant savings by combining technology, managed services, and national scale