Have You Been Inside Your Rental Recently?
By JD Esajian on November 11, 2013
With every property you own, there is a fine line between being overbearing and letting your tenant have their freedom. You never want to be invasive and constantly surprise them at their front door, but you also don’t want to be surprised yourself in six months when you find issues with your property. The best plan is to find a middle ground where you can do periodic housing checks while giving your tenant the feeling of being at home. Regardless of your approach, it is important to keep tabs on the condition of your property. You never know what you may find.
Mold in the basement, damage to your furniture, running water in the toilet and problems with your appliances are just some of the common culprits that can be found along the way. Even if you tell your tenants to inform you of any issues that could be a problem, they will most likely decline for fear that they will be blamed. It is up to you to take the trip to your rentals every 4-6 weeks and just walk around and see if there is anything that needs to be done. Often times, you can spot something early enough that may be able to be replaced before it ends up costing you triple that amount.
You cannot expect your tenant to know how to change a furnace filter or drain a hot water heater. In most cases, they will have no need to go to a basement and could be weeks between trips down there. In this time, there may be water or mold in the basement or other damage to the hot water heater. It may seem like unnecessary grunt work to drive to every property to walk around for a few minutes, but it is worth it to keep an eye on your investment. If you have rental properties you know that things can change with the seasons and damage can be building at any time. Stay ahead of the curve and help yourself avoid potential complications in the future.
In a perfect world, you will have an open line of communication with your tenants and they will be able to call you the first sight of any problems. Unfortunately, most landlords forget that their tenants are real people and real people will cause wear and tear to a property. If you are quick to blame your tenant for every rug issue or issue with the appliances, they will stop calling you with every problem. Sooner or later these small problems will grow into bigger ones and cost you more money. This could have all been avoided if your tenants were open with you or if you had visited the property on a semi-regular basis.
You don’t have to walk around your properties every week, but you should find the time to go there every few weeks. Explain to your tenants that you are not checking on them, but you are checking on the health of your property and just want to make sure that everything is running as smoothly as it can. Your tenants should understand and not mind this as long as there are not trying to hide anything. It is up to you to protect your property and not your tenants.