If you own or manage any rental property, you are aware that
you have a responsibility to maintain these units in a habitable
condition. Most landlords rely on their
tenants to let them know of any maintenance issues, and you trust they are
doing that – after all, how many times have you had to unclog a toilet or deal
with an overflowing sink? But what you
may not realize is how much they AREN’T telling you. Maybe the toilet runs continuously? They can still use their toilet, so they
don’t bother to call you to arrange the repairs, or maybe they just get busy in
their own lives and consistently forget to notify you. Either way, you are probably paying that
water bill and you could be saving hundreds!!!
In all fairness to our tenants, they live their lives, and
if something doesn’t interfere too badly with that, it probably isn’t high up
on their priority list. However, if the
city shows up, who do you think will be held responsible for that leak you
didn’t even know? So, how can you
maintain habitability and keep up your end responsibilities? One way is to do annual inspections, which I
highly recommend – even semi-annual!
Keep in mind, unless you are dealing with government funded housing, you
cannot enforce this “right to enter” to do preventative maintenance inspections
unless your tenants agree. What else can
you do?
Another way is to reach out to your tenants. Maybe they are too busy to write you that
note or email, but that doesn’t mean you can make the process easier for
them. Give them a general survey regarding
their unit and building, and have them return it with their next rent
payment. Simple enough! They don’t really have to think about every
inch of their home. They check off a box
if there is a problem, and there is room to write additional notes. It also gives them an opportunity to let you
know of anything else that may be bothering them – neighbor plays loud music,
someone parks over the line, etc. Not
only are you staying on top of your maintenance and habitability responsibilities,
you are now also better informed about how to make your residents happy! In addition, should you have to go to court
against any of your residents for any issues, it would be easy for you to prove
in writing that there wasn’t an ongoing habitability issue; especially if you
have several responses from them in their file from over their years of
tenancy.
So, what do you have to lose? Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure! It’s time to get to know
your properties and tenants better, and keep your investment in the best shape
possible!
