Being a landlord requires paying special attention to your rental property. After all, a worn-out home won’t attract potential tenants. So, you need to inspect your property for any damages whenever your tenant moves out. With sufficient investment in timely procedures, you can boost your property’s value and make your rental property much more attractive and livable for the new tenants before they move in.
In states like New York that are home to majority-renter cities with tenant-friendly laws, landlords need to pay even more attention to property maintenance and lease issues to prevent getting caught up in a legal hassle. Perhaps this is one reason cities like Long Island continue to attract many people aside from the nation-wide famous school districts and recreation spots.
With more affordable houses than other cities and the ongoing construction of 6,000 new housing units, the city expects a surge in the housing market and migrant population in the coming years. So it is only wise to prepare your rental unit properly and up your chances of attracting future tenants.
By adopting sufficient measures, you can prevent unwanted costs for heavy repairs later and increase the property value of your real estate.
Here is a list of some issues to address before a new tenant moves in.
Check the plumbing system
Some of the most important things that need regular maintenance are the electrical system, HVAC, and plumbing systems. Without regular inspection of these utilities, you’ll have to face high costs for repairing major system damages.
If you own a property in Long Island, timely detection and repairs by a professional Long Island plumbing company can help you take care of minor issues at affordable rates. They can help you by replacing rusted pipes, detecting leaks, and cleaning clogged drains. So you can save some considerable time and have a durable plumbing system, leading to a livable home ready for your new tenants just in time before their move.
Also, delaying inspections until the whole system shuts down can be quite damaging to the infrastructure’s durability. If the plumbing system is out of order, many parts of your property will become dysfunctional, including toilets, showers, sewage systems, water heating systems, and kitchen taps.
Moreover, heating and cooling systems require yearly inspections and cleaning to function properly. Otherwise, the tenants will be frustrated with inadequate temperature control in extreme weather. So checking the HVAC system before you welcome your new tenant is better to make the abode comfortable for them.
Take care of any safety hazards
One of your main concerns as a landlord should be the safety of your tenants. With your previous tenants having spent months in your rental, some amount of minor damages and degradation of the property is inevitable.
Making the place secure enough for your new tenants can boost your reputation as a landlord, protect your property from considerable damage, and save you from legal problems in case someone gets injured owing to your carelessness with property management. Every time a tenant moves out, have the following checklist in hand as you inspect your rental property:
- Check if the smoke detectors are working properly
- Install smoke detectors on various levels of the rental property
- Replace smoke detectors if they have been installed more than ten years
- Replace the batteries
- Advise your tenants to check the smoke detectors monthly for any signs of damage
- Inspect the roofs for any leaks to prevent water damage
- Make sure stair railings are not loose
- Hire electricians to install arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to prevent electrical fires
Clean the rental unit
Any new tenant would be looking for a perfectly maintained infrastructure and a comfortable environment. So cleaning the rental unit is more important than you think. It requires attention to detail to thoroughly clean the place when past tenants have spent a considerable amount of time using the appliances.
You can do it yourself to save costs or hire professionals if your budget allows. It is necessary to clean the most used appliances and rooms like the kitchen and bathroom to get rid of dirt, rust, and mildew from the furniture as well as surfaces of toilets, the stove, showers, bathtubs, the kitchen sink, and the fridge. This will enhance the appeal of your property for tenants when they visit before making the final decision about signing a lease.
Replace drywalls
A common issue landlords have to deal with is drywall damage. No matter how much precaution your tenants take, chipped paint, holes resulting from wall hangings, and divots are inevitable when a property is used for long periods. But your future tenant will be looking for a new home, so they’ll want a lodging place in optimum condition. Therefore, consider checking the drywalls thoroughly.
If you can afford drywall replacement, it is the best option to give a completely fresh look to the interior. Otherwise, you can do some small repairs yourself. You can repaint the patches that have chipped paint.
As for small holes, you can place self-adhesive mesh over them or stick drywall patches on them. For large holes, however, you should contact experts to take care of them so as to avoid causing further damage.
Arrange a walkthrough with your tenant and prepare a move-in checklist
To ensure that your efforts and investment in property maintenance don’t go to waste, it is a good step to arrange a walkthrough with your tenant once the inspection and subsequent repairs are done.
This walkthrough session should be scheduled before the tenants move in. Note that whether it is mandatory in your state to provide a checklist or not, keeping one with you as you show the tenants every portion of the rental unit can go a long way to avoid conflicts and repeated repair costs in the future.
Take snapshots of every part of the rental unit as proof of the checklist’s accuracy. These steps can be evidence enough to prove the transparency of your leasing procedures in case a legal conflict arises.
Conclusion
Before listing your rental property for lease to new tenants, you need to take care of some important issues. A complete inspection of the entire rental unit is crucial to ensuring a satisfied first impression to potential renters during property visits.
After this initial inspection, you should take care of all the necessary repairs and modifications as best you can according to your budget. Taking such measures as listed above, you can boost the appeal of your property for renters, enhance property value, improve the life span of the rental unit, and save yourself from unwanted future costs in terms of time and money.
