Being a landlord doesn’t only end up in accepting tenants, receiving their payments, and imposing rules on the rental property. This duty also includes obligations you must ensure to keep your tenant safe while they stay at your property. Read on to learn about basic landlord responsibilities that are critical to a successful business.
Remember that as a landlord, you are held liable for whatever happens to your tenant inside your rental property. Thus, you should be aware of your responsibilities and how to perform them properly.
Check out this compilation of the top five responsibilities that you should do to ensure a successful business.
1. Keep the Property Safe
The most important of all basic landlord responsibilities is keeping your property safe. You can do this by letting experts inspect your property thoroughly. The inspection aims to check for safety regarding gas and electricity.
Some companies are licensed and authorized by your local government to conduct inspections. This is done to ensure the safety of rental properties operating in their cities and towns.
For instance, if your rental property is located in Melbourne, Australia, you can contact Landmark Inspections to inspect your rental property. These companies already know what to look for per your area’s local safety guidelines.
Another aspect of safety is upholding best practices for emergency situations. Landlords can improve their spaces with smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire exit hanging signs. If a fire emergency arises, having these items in place will improve the likelihood of a positive outcome for the tenants. This also means better long-term performance for the property owner.
2. Property Maintenance
Maintaining your property will not only ensure that your property will look good and last longer, but it also ensures that your tenants will feel comfortable. Therefore, you must maintain your rental property regularly and not only when you need to do so.
As a part of your regular maintenance, you should check your property for leaks, especially after a strong storm. It would be best if you remembered that water damage is your number one enemy as a landlord. Nothing destroys houses faster.
Air filters should also be regularly replaced regularly. Also, don’t forget to test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for your tenant’s safety. It is also recommended that you inspect all fire extinguishers on your property to know if they are still working correctly.
If trees are surrounding your property, it is best to trim them regularly to avoid threatening any electrical lines or structures. Moreover, while trimming your trees, you should also check your gutter for obstructions and remove them if you see one.
3. Respond to Requests for Repairs
If you want to be an awesome landlord, you need to stay on top of each and every request that a tenant makes. Getting them signed up is only the beginning.
Remember that tenants are paying to rent your property. Therefore, you have the responsibility to repair any damages even while they are living in it. Therefore, you should respond to repair requests promptly and don’t let the tenants wait for so long before you act.
No matter how big (or small) the repair will be, try to take care of it quickly. For example, repair requests like damaged door locks or door knobs should be repaired as soon as possible. This is key to your tenants’ safety.
Meanwhile, cabinet hinge repair should be fixed in less than one week. However, if big repairs are needed, you can talk to your tenants and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to fix any big repairs they request.
4. Provide Security
Some might not consider this one of the basic landlord responsibilities but certain rental properties even hire security personnel to secure their tenants. However, this should not be the only thing you should focus on in securing your property. To provide proper security for your rental properties, you can install external lighting. This will allow greater visibility for people entering and exiting the property.
In addition, you should secure the doors and windows of each rental unit. Install security smoke alarms and CCTV cameras on every corner of your property. Thieves and people with bad intentions usually think twice about entering a property if they see CCTVs watching every inch of the premises.
It would be best if you also cleared out every entrance and exit for any obstructions and the pathways and corridors inside your rental property. It will ensure that your tenants can easily pass in an emergency.
5. Maintain Cleanliness
As a landlord, you also must ensure that your tenants will live in a clean and healthy environment. For example, you don’t want someone filing a complaint against you because you didn’t take care of your garbage properly.
Waste management is one of the challenges for landlords worldwide. But no matter how difficult it is to keep garbage properly stored, you should do your best to provide your tenants with a clean and safe place to live.
You can engage your tenants as they are considered your main waste generators. Outline the accepted rule about garbage disposal from the start. Do it in writing. This will make it clear to all parties at the start.
Final Words
Knowing and performing all the basic landlord responsibilities will ensure that you will have a strong relationship with your tenants. It also helps you maintain a good rating and reputation amongst tenants and your local government, increasing your income.
