Create a List of Common Damages by Tenants and Put Them in the Lease (Wanna)

Making Tenant-Landlord Relationship a Breeze

Leasing your property to a bunch of strangers can be challenging, to say the least. Rules need to be set beforehand to make sure both parties understand each other, and to lessen any potential frictions.

Here are some things that you need to watch out for that can cause potential problems between tenant and landlord and how to prevent them.

Damage to the property

This is especially a concern with tenants who own pets as well as those who smoke. You can minimize problems in relation to property damage by having your tenants pay a refundable security deposit and/or a separate pet deposit, which is usually also refundable, or partly refundable, depending on the agreement you make with your tenants. It is the custom, and even the law in some places, that the security deposit not to exceed the amount of one month’s rent. All in all, make sure that you and your tenants are in the same page in regards to the clauses in which the deposit fee would be forfeited.

Respect your tenant’s privacy

Once the property is leased out, make sure you respect your tenants’ privacy. Unless you have a previously agreed upon clause that would permit you to gain access to the property, you may risk offending your tenants if you were to show up in the property unannounced.

Maintenance of the property

Usually, repairs and general maintenance of the property and the furnishing in it is the owner’s responsibility. Lawn maintenance, appliance repair, etc, are part of the regular maintenance and repair that a property would need from time to time. To ensure a good tenant-landlord relationship, an open communication line is essential in regards to any maintenance problems that arise within the property. Landlord also must respond in a timely manner to minimize inconvenience on the tenants’ part.

Rental Policies

Make sure your tenants understand your expectations in term of rental policy and late fee policy, to avoid unnecessary frictions.

All in all, when it comes to creating a good tenant-landlord relationship, a good communication is key. Coupled with a clearly written agreement, it could save you a lot of headaches when managing your property.