In an ideal world, we'd have less work. In reality, 45% of landlords manage their own properties, meaning it's up to them to make sure everything is in good shape.
With so much that's necessary for a rental property, it's easy to forget what you need to take care of.
Here are the property maintenance tips you need to remember.
1. Being Careful About Tenants
The first thing you should do — and the most important piece of landlord advice in general — is to screen your tenants.
Make sure they seem like they'll take care of the apartment, and ask them about their lives if necessary. You can usually tell if someone is responsible by meeting them in person, so take the time out of your day to actually talk to them.
It's legal to hold a security deposit in every state, but some states do have maximums, so consider what's appropriate and what's just too much. However, if something does go wrong, you want to be able to afford the repairs that will be required — and not have to take too much out of your own pocket.
Your tenant is key in maintaining your San Diego rental property.
2. Perform Timely Repairs
If your tenant informs you something needs to be repaired, you might want to go and assess the issue for yourself.
After that, you'll have to consider what you want to do. It's a good idea to get it repaired in a timely manner even if it's not urgent, as problems in rental properties can quickly become worse. You're not there to monitor it, after all.
Ask around for some quotes and make sure you find the balance between affordable and efficient.
3. Review Policies
When taking on a new tenant, make sure you review the contract rather than just re-using the same one without actually looking.
Some policies may not work anymore. For example, you may be less willing to allow pets after someone's dog made a mess of the place! There might be other rules that you need to change to ensure you come back to a well-kept and clean property.
4. Check In
It's always a good idea to check in with any tenants in your rental property.
You don't have to show up there — chances are, they won't like this either! However, even if they aren't reaching out to you, you can text every now and again and ask if everything is okay with the rental or if they have any concerns.
That way, you might catch issues before they come serious and keep your property in good shape.
5. Consider Hiring a Property Manager
If you simply can't keep up with your property, consider hiring a San Diego property manager to do it for you.
If you have the available money, this is a better idea than falling behind and ending up with a property that's very expensive to fix up!
These Property Maintenance Tips Are Essential
Remember these property maintenance tips to keep your rentals in good shape. Otherwise, you might end up with a rental property no one wants — or one that's very expensive to get back to a good standard of living.
For property management services in San Diego, check us out today and get a free analysis.
