Maintaining your rental property and why you need to As a landlord, there is a duty to maintain your rental property, especially if want to attract and retain good tenants.
Most home owners take pride in their property, so your buy-to-let shouldn’t be any different.
Who should maintain your property?A good starting point is deciding who you want to be responsible for the maintenance of your property, whether that be an agent or yourself.
Handing over your rental property to an agent has many perks; the most obvious being that it can be much less stressful and time consuming for you as a landlord.
Agents also have great industry contacts who can resolve maintenance issues quickly and cost effectively.
At Hudson Moody, we have built up a team of local tradespeople who we know to be trustworthy and reliable.
Working with tenantsOnce you’ve found tenants, it’s important to educate them about helping to prevent unnecessary damage to the property.
This information can be put into a moving in pack and cover things like knowing how to keep the property well ventilated to reduce the risk of mould, how to use the boiler, and fire alarm.
It’s also important to encourage tenants to communicate with the agent or yourself should they notice a problem developing in the property, rather than waiting until it becomes a serious issue.
Regular inspectionsWe would always advise carrying out pre and post tenancy inspections, and it’s also worth carrying out regular property check-ups throughout the tenancy.
This is something which quality letting agents do regularly and they will be able to liaise with tenants on your behalf to access the property and know exactly what they need to be looking out for.
It’s always best to work with an agent that has a proactive, rather than reactive approach to property maintenance.
If you choose to carry out the property inspections yourself, here are just some of the things you need to look out for; • Make sure you have provided at least 24 hours’ notice to your tenants and that this is written in the agreement.
• Take pictures for comparison, this will help with aesthetics like decoration and flooring to decipher general wear and tear or misuse.
• Are there any mould or damp issues? • Check appliances for dirt build up and PAT testing• Check the fire/alarm systems are working correctly• Are the gas and electricity certificates in date?Highlighting and targeting issues usually results in being more cost effective in the long run and most importantly, happy tenants that will stay in your property.
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