Landlords and other stakeholders in the lettings industry have expressed concerns over the effects of troublesome tenants and how they can lead to a factitious relationship across the property lettings chain. The impact of bad tenants sometimes translates to poor ROI, excessive expenditure and a near impossible property management experience.
Landlords should try to avoid bad tenants,’’ say the experts at ZHCustomHomes. “It means following a process and not just accepting the first tenant that shows interest.
Below are some helpful tips on how landlords can avoid troublesome tenants and ensure that they are responsible with the property rented to them.
What Landlords Can Do
- Choosing the right tenant is important. It is also dependent on the vetting process. Landlords should contact the previous landlords of their prospective tenants to find out if they looked after their property. The problem with skipping a thorough screening process may result in accepting a difficult tenant.
- “With the information available you should run comprehensive background checks on anyone your looking to involve in a long term contact with.” – private-investigators-uk.com
- Regular inspections and visits to the property should be carried out. According to a research on property use by tenants, occasional visits to their properties by landlords can massively reduce the chance of disputes and property damage, which could cost them. This also helps to foster a healthy landlord-tenant relationship, which is beneficial because occupants will be more likely to care for the property, and to stay longer.
- It also helps if landlords get acquainted with the neighbours. Since neighbours live close to the property, they can be helpful, and, at times, willing to divulge relevant information on the tenant conduct and on the state of the property.
- Landlords should also carry out repairs as soon as they are required. This gives tenants the impression that the property must be in top shape at all times. In addition, property owners should give specific cleaning instructions and directives on how the property should be handled. Although, it is not for the property owner to instruct tenants on how to live, giving general cleaning instructions as the property is leased to them, helps clarify issues and reduce chances of disputes arising as a result of damage done.
- Perhaps, most important is the need to include all relevant lease clauses that the tenants should be aware of. They need to understand who is responsible for what, and what needs to be done when the need arises for a maintenance issue to be solved.
Keeping a rented property in good condition is all about standards. It is about the natural standards of the tenant, and the standards you demonstrate to your tenants that you expect in the way you care for the property and what you say. You need to judge whether prospective tenants can meet your standards, and then show that you care about the property. If you did have tenancy problems seek professional help from property disputes solicitors to ensure that you receive expert advice.
