Building Superintendent

Building Superintendents oversee the day-to-day upkeep of an apartment building. A Building Superintendent does a little bit of everything, but is mainly concerned with the physical property, handling things like basic maintenance and fixing problems as they arise.

In the world of renting, the position of Building Superintendent—or “Super”—falls below that of Property Manager and above that of Maintenance Worker. The Property Manager hires you, and while they oversee multiple properties, you focus your attention on one specific building.

You’re the first one called when something breaks or a tenant has a problem, and a big responsibility of your job is to be available 24 hours a day. Some Supers live within the premises, and depending on the size of the building, you may actually be required to do so. This can be a big perk since it means you get free rent, though the downside is you’re always at work.

The work you do can cover all sorts of things, and each day is always a little bit different. One day might have you fixing a plumbing issue in one of the units, while another might see you trimming the trees outside the building. You open doors when people lock themselves out, arrange for Exterminators to come, and mediate issues between tenants. Depending on how big the building is, you might do all the work yourself or you might handle only the administrative part, calling and arranging for outside vendors to come in and do the necessary work.