Ideally, you want your rental units to be in near perfect condition before renting them out to tenants. However, that’s not always possible. Sometimes properties need to be rented out before they’re perfect. Not all tenants mind, especially in areas where it’s hard to find a place to rent and/or in a low-income area. The challenge is getting your tenant on board with renovations.
While there are certain things you can’t legally leave unfinished on your rental properties, other things are okay. If you’ve got rental properties that need work, here are four tips to manage those properties while they’re occupied by tenants.
Hire a property management company
You probably don’t want to be a full-time landlord. When you hire a property management company, you won’t have to be a landlord at all. For example, landlords in Houston hire Green Residential to take over their landlord duties, including repairs and maintenance.
Having a property manager means delegating all of your responsibilities to the company. You can rely on their expertise for everything, including working with your tenants to complete necessary repairs. They’ll perform a full inspection to see what needs to be done. From there, they’ll use their business connections to schedule necessary repairs.
Do you dread coordinating a time for repairs with your tenant? With a property manager, you don’t have to be the bad guy and you don’t have to deal with tenants who don’t want to cooperate.
If one of your tenants has a problem with allowing repairs, your property manager will use their negotiating skills to get them on board.
Be patient with your tenants
Whenever you need your tenant’s cooperation to perform repairs, you’re going to need plenty of patience. For example, you might need an area cleared out to make repairs.
Some tenants won’t have any issues; they’ll clear out the area right away and tell you to make the repairs whenever you want. Others will feel more put out by their need to participate and will drag their feet or outright refuse to cooperate.
When asking tenants to move their belongings to accommodate a repair, have patience. People don’t generally like being inconvenienced in their own home, so look at it from your tenant’s perspective. Would you want your landlord telling you to clear out your garage in 7 days when you work a full-time job and don’t have the energy?
Be patient and understand that you’ll need to negotiate and support certain tenants during this process. If your tenant resists, ask them how you can help. If they need physical help, offer to help them move things or hire someone to help. While you aren’t legally obligated to cater to your tenants, being understanding and patient will get you the cooperation you need.
Wait for a vacancy to perform major work
Save all major work for your next vacancy to avoid inconveniencing your tenants. While a job that takes a few hours isn’t a big deal, major work that takes days or weeks is best reserved for an empty unit.
For example, does your bathroom need a complete remodel? No matter what condition your bathroom is in, if it’s decent and usable, your tenants probably won’t want to deal with a remodeling job.
Wait until your tenant vacates the unit to remodel large areas that get used on a daily basis, like the kitchen and bathrooms.
Prioritize tasks
When you have multiple projects that need to be completed, prioritize them first according to their urgency, and then the impact they’ll have on your tenant. For example, if you need to replace the roof, that will be a major inconvenience to your tenant. However, if the roof needs to be replaced because of a water leak that has been dripping into the walls, you can’t put that off.
Priority tasks include jobs that are time-sensitive, safety hazards, problems that will create more damage as time goes on, and projects that will make tenants feel more comfortable in their homes.
For example, if the backyard patio is cracked and uneven, and your tenant has kids, make that a priority repair. Their safety is at risk otherwise.
A great relationship with your tenants will help
No matter what you need to accomplish, having a great relationship with your tenants will help. When your tenants are fond of you and respect you, they’ll be less likely to resist repairs and changes to their homes.
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