Every homeowner knows the importance of keeping her residence in good repair. It preserves the value of your home, makes it more attractive, and prevents minor problems from turning into major problems.
Sometimes landlords find it more difficult to maintain their rental properties. They often own several rental units, in addition to their personal residence. They may have a full-time job and other responsibilities to attend to.
Little problems can go unnoticed until a tenant reports a bigger problem. When you aren’t living in a home every day and having to deal with the issues that are present, it can be easy to let maintenance tasks slip.
However, it is always in your best interest to deal with the maintenance of your rental properties promptly. It saves you money, because you can repair a problem before it escalates and becomes a more costly repair issue.
It also keeps your tenants happy, which means that you don’t have to deal with finding new tenants to replace the unhappy ones who moved out.
Read on to discover the top 10 tips for keeping your rental properties in good repair.
1. Exterior Wood: All of the wood on the exterior of the building should be kept painted. Peeling paint looks shoddy, and it can lead to deterioration and rotting of the wood. Painting it now prevents you from having to replace it later.
2. Foundation: The dirt surrounding the home’s foundation should be properly graded and slope away from the house. This may require you to backfill around the foundation. These steps will prevent water from draining into the home’s basement or crawl space and causing serious structural damage.
3. Gutters: Keep the gutters clean and free of debris, and consider adding extenders to the downspouts so that they don’t drain near the home’s foundation. Clogged gutters will back up and allow water to enter the home.
4. Windows and Doors: Seal around windows and doors with a waterproof sealant. This will prevent water and air from leaking and minimize heat loss from inside the home. It will also reduce utility costs, which your tenants are sure to appreciate.
5. Trees: Check your trees and landscaping for dead limbs or areas that need trimming, and remove any weak limbs or trees right away. Dead limbs that fall can injure people and property.
6. Roof: Be sure to check your roof for damage after a big storm or high winds. You could lose a few shingles, which can allow water to penetrate the roof. A little bit of water coming in can cause mold to grow.
7. Fireplace: The chimney should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. A buildup of creosote in the fireplace can cause a chimney fire.
8. HVAC: Your heating and cooling system should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. Filters should be replaced monthly. This allows the system to run at maximum efficiency.
9. Crawl Space: The crawl space should be inspected at least once a year. If the house smells musty or there are any signs of a water leak, call a contractor right away.
10. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters: These should be tested on a monthly basis to make sure that they trip and reset properly.
These tips will help you to keep your rental properties in good repair and avoid more costly problems down the line.
If you are considering becoming a landlord, you should get in touch with McMath Realty to learn more about the responsibilities of landlords and tenants.
We offer a variety of services to assist you in maintaining your property, includinginvestment consulting,property management,rental management,property inspections, and home maintenance services.
We manage rental properties in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Glendale, and all areas of Maricopa County.
We can act as property manager for your rental unit. We can do everything from advertising your property, securing a high-quality tenant, maintaining the property, collecting rent, and dealing with problems.
We also use signage to attract potential renters who are out driving around and looking for rental opportunities. We will assess your property, recommend improvements, and help you price your unit appropriately.
Contact McMath Realty at https://mcmathrealty.com//contact.php to learn more about how we can help you keep your rental property in great shape so that you can keep your good renters or attract the best new tenants!