There are certain commonplace things you probably think you’ll never have to tell your tenant, but you’d be surprised at the gaps in some people’s knowledge or foresight. Check out the following two things you need to tell your tenants today if you haven’t already done so.
Keep Heat On During Freezing Weather
It can cost your tenants a chunk of change to heat their homes during the winter months, so it’s only natural that they might want to try to control their heating bills by keeping the heat low. However, in some cases, they go too far and turn the heat all the way off, which can cause major property problems.
For example, say your tenants go off for a week’s vacation when it’s freezing out and turn off the heat because they are not going to be home. While they’re gone, pipes in your property could actually freeze or burst, resulting in some severe and expensive damage. Appliances such as the water heater or even the furnace could be ruined. The same thing goes for a tenant who is turning the heat all the way off during the workday; when it’s turned back on in the evening, you could end up with water damage from condensation on the windows and walls.
Tell Me If There’s A Problem
This one you’ll want to say often. Sometimes, tenants learn to just “live” with things like leaky pipes, or they caused the issue themselves and are concerned about getting into trouble. In reality, if a repair needs to be made or an issue needs to be checked out, it is always better to find out sooner rather than later for your tenant’s life quality and your wallet.
Carry out a landlord inspection at least every six months to help catch issues your tenants may not tell you about or even realize exist. Always make sure you’re following all the laws applicable to landlord inspections in the area, including how much notice in advance you have to give. In most states, you can’t just enter a tenant’s unit without any notice unless there is a dire emergency, so it’s important to know what you’re supposed to do for an inspection.
Overall, good communication is key in the landlord-tenant relationship. Your tenants must know what is expected of them, and you have to deliver on your end, too.
