If you are a landlord you are responsible for offering a habitable and safe environment for your tenants. This means that the property you are renting to the tenants should not be a dangerous place to live and should be safe and secure. You have to take care of some of the important safety matters and precautions beforehand to keep your tenants safe. This in turn will help you avoid various lawsuits and future problems with the property and the tenants. So it is better to be safe than sorry in your career as a good landlord.
But sometimes, you may want to take some precautions but may not know where to begin. If you are experiencing this issue, you can get assistance from the estate agents in Brighton. They will help you know about your landlord’s responsibilities and also give you pointers on what precautions to take to ensure safety and security. Have a look at some of the five precautions you can take to minimise issues with your tenants and your rental property.
1. Repair the properties before tenants move in
If you are letting a property to a new tenant, make sure that you repair the property before they move in. You can do a thorough check of what needs to be done to the property and also make arrangements to repair any damages. You have to verify whether there are any health or safety issues.
For instance, you can check if the smoke or carbon monoxide is working in good order. Also, make this part of your routine property inspection as an important precautionary step. You also have to confirm whether no one has the spare key to the apartment or flat other than you and the tenant. By doing this, you are taking a precaution to ensure the safety of your tenant.
2. Keep the property clean
It is always better to keep the property and its surroundings clean so it will be a haven for your tenants. Check if an individual apartment or flat is thoroughly cleaned after a tenant moves out so it looks clean and new for the new tenant.
Especially cleaning the areas like the tub, toilet, kitchen, stove, and refrigerator is important. Hire people to deep clean the area properly and remove any unnecessary things if it is present. Further check whether the common outdoor areas like the garden, play area, or other places are well-cared for.
3. Take steps to prevent fire accidents
Some of the fire accidents caused by electricity happen because of faulty kitchen appliances. That is why you need to take precautions to prevent such hazards. One best things you can do as a landlord if you provide appliances in your rental property is to have them registered with the manufacturers. So if there are any issues they will contact you, and they will also do good maintenance and repair of the appliances to keep them in good condition.
You can also take some appropriate measures in your rental property to prevent fire accidents. Take care of the overall fire safety of the property by taking necessary precautions and helping your tenants to comply with fire safety regulations. For instance, you can install fire-proof doors, use fire-retardant paints, have fire prevention equipment, and more.
4. Get the tenants to sign the lease agreement
You have to go over the lease agreement with the tenants so they can understand their requirements and their responsibilities. If you clarify this with the tenants, then it will be easy for you to handle any disputes if it arises. You can also answer the questions of the tenants so they don’t have any doubts about the agreement and let the tenants sign the lease agreement in front of a witness. Doing this with every tenant will promote peace between you and them and there will be no unnecessary discord.
5. Offer tenants your contact information
You should always have a good flow of communication with your tenants so if there are any grievances you can know it soon and take steps to solve them. They can also reach you easily if they have any emergency repairs to make in their apartment. This will help you deal with lots of problems sooner before the situation goes out of control.
Know about your landlord’s responsibilities from estate agents
As a landlord, you may have lots of responsibilities but sometimes you may need some guidance to do your job. During those times, you can get help from experienced property professionals who will help you to become the best landlords of your rental property. So get in touch with them now.