Essential Maintenance to Keep Your Rental Property Going Strong
Sometimes, one of the things a lot of new investors overlook is the commitment that a rental property really is. It’s much more than just finding someone to rent from you and giving them the keys. At the end of the day, you’re their landlord – and they’re going to look to you for help when they have questions or if something breaks and needs repair.
In order to keep up your rental property and have a successful investment, there are a few essential maintenance tasks you need to do.
Let’s go over a few of them:
TEST ALL SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
At the very least, you should be checking these detectors annually. If you want to go above and beyond, give them a check once a month to make sure your tenants are living in a safe and secure environment. Most states require detectors in rental homes, and they may require that you maintain them in working order. Failure to do so could mean that you’re liable for injuries or deaths due to smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning.
CHECK UP ON LEAKS AND WATER DAMAGE
Water damage can be a landlord’s worst nightmare. It’s very possible to avoid serious problems with flooding, mold, and property damage by repairing leaks promptly. As part of your essential maintenance, check under sinks, bathtubs, and water heaters for signs of leaks. You should also be checking your gutters and making sure they’re clean and in working condition. Water damage from backed-up gutters can be brutal to a home’s structure.
CHECK THE HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS
The last thing you want is for your furnace, water heater, or air conditioning unit to die on your tenants. Making regular maintenance checks is vital to stay ahead of any potential problems. I’d recommend getting the help of a professional for this one – it’s a worthwhile investment to keep your tenants safe and happy.
MAKE SURE ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE SECURE
In many states, a secure home is part of the implied warranty of habitability in any rental property. Make sure your tenants have a way to keep the property safe and secure by checking that the doors and windows are sturdy and properly secured. If the tenants have replaced any locks that they weren’t supposed to, this maintenance check is a good time to address that issue.
When your tenants sign on to live in your rental property, they’re placing their trust in you to give them a habitable and safe place to live. Be sure to fulfill that commitment by doing regular inspections and taking care of any maintenance issues that come up.
