Have you decided to invest in property? If so, then you will have two main options. Either, you could buy to sell or buy to let it out. If you buy to let it out, then it’s important to be aware that you will essentially be taking on all the requirements and responsibilities of a landlord. This means that you’ll need to make sure that you are thinking about how to keep the property in the right condition and keep your tenants happy. So, let’s take a look at the steps that you need to take here to hit the right targets as a new landlord.
Always Respond Quickly
First, you need to make sure that you are responding quickly to requests from your tenants. There are lots of different reasons why a tenant could contact you. It might be the case that they need help with a repair or they could have an issue with a noise complaint. Regardless, it’s always going to be your responsibility.
There are lots of ways to handle this. If you have some skills, you could be the handyman, but you need to make sure that you can complete the service to the right quality standard.
There are also software solutions that make things far easier overall. This means that you will be able to complete responses as quickly as possible over time.
Consult Legal Advice
Do be aware that when you become a landlord you are always going to be exposed to issues with the law. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to break the law at any time. However, you could still end up in a situation where you breach regulations as a new landlord. If you are worried about this, then we recommend that you do look at exploring a legal advisor service. The right solution will mean that you can keep things under control overtime and ensure that you are always up to date with changes to regulations.
Give Notice Of Visits
You do need to make sure that you are giving notice before making visits to a property under your care as a landlord. If you don’t do this, then you can end up in a situation where your tenant can make a legal complaint. So, how much notice do you need to give? Ideally, you should make sure that you are giving at least 24 hours as notice before you decide to visit a property.
When it comes to visits, you should make sure that you are as respectful as possible. If you don’t do this, then it can rub a tenant the wrong way and lead to negative reviews. This can make it more difficult to fill a tenancy in the future. At the same time, you still need to be aware of signs that you have a problematic tenant who may need to go at least be monitored.
Be Clear About Rent
Do understand that while you might think that your rent is clear and easy to understand your tenant could disagree. This could lead to underpaid rent which can be a nightmare. That’s why you should make sure that you report unpaid rent as soon as you notice an issue that is growing out of control. To avoid issues like this, you should also make sure that you are not raising rent without fair notice.
Make The Space Safe
It is your legal responsibility to make sure your home is safe and secure when you rent it out to tenants. You need to use heavy duty locks on the door so that you don’t leave it vulnerable to break-ins. You are also responsible for installing fire alarms as well as carbon monoxide alarms, if you aren’t sure how to do this then you could speak to your local fire station. Failing to install these means you are breaking several laws and you could end up in hot water.
Increase Energy Efficiency
You must never forget that this is your home, so you want the very best for it. If you increase the energy efficiency then bills will be lower, not only for you but also your tenants. They will be very grateful for this and be sure to boast to their friends about how great their landlord is. So how can you increase the energy efficiency of your home? You could install double or even triple glazing to trap the heat in your home, however, this could be incredibly hot during the summer months. You might also want to invest in a higher quality boiler, this won’t work as hard to heat your home.
Hire A Gardener
If you want your property to continue to look its best while your tenants are living there then you could hire a gardener. They can come as often as you want, this could be weekly, fortnightly, or even monthly. In the summer months you may need them to come more frequently due to the speed grass grows. Give your tenants the choice of looking after the garden themselves, some people love gardening and are particularly green fingered.
Complete A Checklist With Images
Lastly, as a landlord you will need to create a checklist of all the items within your property. This is known as an inventory and is a detailed, comprehensive list. Your realtor can ensure this is completed to the highest satisfaction and nothing is missed. They typically include what the item is, where it is located, and a picture as proof of it being there. When your tenants vacate the property, you can go through this to see if they have left it as it was when they moved in. Don’t forget to include damage to your property as well. This is vital as you don’t want to accuse your tenants of damaging your home when it was there all along.
So there you have it, top tips for how to be the greatest landlord you can possibly be. Building a great landlord-tenant relationship provides peace of mind to all parties and makes things easier with communication.
Add Comment