As a property owner, make sure to let your tenant be on board with keeping your Hampden rental property clean. This is critical because the value of your property may rise or fall depending on its overall condition. But the problem is, some tenants do not have the discipline for cleaning and property maintenance. If you don’t check up on them, you may not know that cleanliness is an issue until it becomes a much bigger problem.
Regular property inspections are a vital part of your property management process. But just like in the many aspects of owning rental properties, there are different ways to carry out property inspections. Knowing why inspections are important, how to create and carry out an inspection schedule, and how to talk with your tenant about cleanliness are all things that a successful property owner needs to know.
Regular property inspections must be performed for these reasons: Valuable insight is gathered by finding out if the tenant abides by the terms of the lease and it helps you catch developing problems early on. Tenants are people so it comes as no surprise that they would have different ideas in terms of cleanliness. A dirty house or yard may be a concern for some but may not be for others. There are some tenants that might even think cleanliness is none of your business. Such is not the case. A dirty house or yard can escalate to serious problems like structural damage, bad odors, pest infestations, and more. Not catching these issues early on can leave you with expensive repairs and draining the security deposit.
Property inspections must be done in an organized manner since this is an important part of property maintenance. As a property owner, you have several different kinds of inspections in your property management toolbox. The move-in inspection can help you establish a baseline for your property’s condition, helpful if you need to assess wear and tear or property damage later on. Then there are the drive-by inspections, which as the name suggests, allows you to drive by your rental property to check if there are visible issues with the property’s exterior.
But then the most important inspections are regular inspections for safety and cleanliness in the property’s interior. There is no rule that sets the number of inspections per year. Property owners differ in their frequency in inspecting their units. Some do it annually while others check on their rental house every three or six months. Annual inspections are common and are the most effective. Property owners can get the right assessment of the property’s condition while tenants do not need to endure undue hardship.
Do not inspect your property too often. Be sensitive as your constant intrusions could frustrate your tenant. However, you might be inclined to increase your frequency of visits if there are cleanliness problems during your last inspection, and you would have to continue frequent inspections until you are sure that the tenant is keeping the property clean. The same procedure must be done when you discover your tenant with an unauthorized pet or unauthorized people living in the house. Document everything in photos and writing every time you do your inspection.
Talking to tenants about cleanliness inspections may be tricky but this doesn’t need to be. You can certainly manage tenant’s expectations about property inspections by adding an inspection schedule in the lease. The tenant must be properly notified before you visit the property and should know the purpose of your visit. Establishing good communication with your tenant can make your property inspections much easier for everyone, and help you check the property as needed.
Should there be a need for a tenant to clean the property, the request should be done in writing. By giving a detailed list of tasks for your tenant, it would be very clear what exactly you expect from them. Just in case it will be needed, include photographs as this creates a strong paper trail for any future legal issues.
When regular property inspections are done appropriately, the routine builds a habit and familiarity with the tenants when keeping your rental property clean. When your tenants are aware that you are always on board, this gives them a stronger incentive to keep your property tidy.
Need help coming up with a lease, or maybe you’d rather not deal with your tenants at all? Feel free to reach out to Real Property Management Acadia and talk to one of our property managers at 207-561-7482 or contact us online.
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