No, and this is one of the main differences between Atelier Reset and how property care is often structured, whether that's a property manager coordinating subcontractors or a handyman called in job by job (we've written more on this distinction in our journal entry, Beyond The Task).

Many smaller jobs (resealing, adjustments, lighting, decorative work, kitchen updates) are handled directly by our team in a single visit, without bringing in separate contractors.

This also affects cost: where property managers often coordinate subcontractors and take a margin on that work, with Atelier Reset the client is mainly paying us directly. Subcontractors are only brought in when a job legally requires certified trades — major electrical or plumbing work, for instance — and at that point, the work has typically moved into renovation territory anyway, which is a different conversation.

Not quite. Property management typically refers to the administrative side of running a property — bills, contractors, scheduling, communication.

Maintenance is the physical care of the property itself: the repairs, adjustments, and upkeep that keep it functioning and feeling right. We've written more about this distinction in our journal entry, Property Management vs Property Care: The Difference Is Attention — the short version is that the difference comes down to attention, not just task.

Rarely because of one thing. A home feels right when dozens of small details are working together — doors that close properly, lighting that's considered, surfaces that are finished, nothing that quietly asks for attention.

Individually, none of these details would be noticed. Together, they're the difference between a house that functions and a home that feels cared for.

Maintenance keeps a property at the standard it was designed to have — addressing wear, adjusting what's drifted, preserving what's already right.

Improvement changes that standard — upgrading, renovating, adding something new. Most properties need far more of the former than the latter, but maintenance is easy to underinvest in precisely because, done well, it's invisible.

There's also a category in between, where much of our work sits — re-sealing a shower, adjusting a door, updating a lighting scheme, changing a kitchen worktop. None of these are maintenance exactly, but none require a full renovation either.

Small things shift, even when nothing dramatic happens. Mechanisms that need regular use can stiffen. Humidity and temperature changes affect materials gradually. Plants, pools, and systems left unchecked can develop issues that would have been minor if caught early.

None of this is usually visible from the outside — it's felt on arrival, often before it's understood.

The honest answer is regular attention, even when no one's coming. A property that's checked, aired, and adjusted periodically stays close to ready at all times — rather than needing a scramble of preparation whenever a visit is decided.

The goal is for "ready" to be the property's normal state, not something that has to be created on demand.

It's rarely one thing — it's the accumulation of small details that are quietly right: nothing sticking, nothing unfinished, nothing that's been "good enough" for too long. We've written more about this in our journal entry, What Keeps a Home Feeling Right , it's the idea that sits behind most of what we do.

More often than people expect. Many properties that feel like they need renovating actually need something closer to restoration -bringing existing details back to standard, rather than replacing them.

Renovation makes sense when something genuinely needs to change. It's the wrong tool when what's needed is simply attention to what's already there.

Preparation works best when it starts well before arrival — checking the property is functioning as it should, addressing anything that's drifted since the last visit, and making sure the small details (lighting, temperature, presentation) are right rather than just "fine." The aim is for the property to feel effortless the moment someone walks in, with no sense of the work that made that possible.

Because it's lived in differently. A primary residence is in constant use, so small issues tend to surface — and get addressed — quickly. A second home sits between visits, often for months, which means the same small issues have longer to develop and less chance of being noticed before they've become more than small.

For most second homes, a periodic review several times a year is enough to identify issues before they become visible problems.

The exact frequency depends on the property, but the principle remains the same: the less often a home is occupied, the more valuable periodic attention becomes. Without it, these tend to surface all at once, usually on arrival.