How to Prepare Your Property for New Tenants

28.02.2020 Home Hacks 0.0 0

property

As a landlord, you have certain responsibilities you have to take care of once your current tenants move out in order to prepare your property for your new tenants. Not only do you want to attract new tenants, but once you’ve found them, you also want to establish a good relationship from the very beginning.

You can do both of those things by properly preparing your rental property and make sure it presents well on your listing and in viewings. Using the online leasing management platform, you can improve your market, management and leasing portfolio and also promote a healthy relationship between you and your tenant via communication tools. When you have prospective tenants coming to see your place, you want to show them a home that’s ready for them to live there. Otherwise, it will turn them off.

Here is a list of steps to take to prepare your property for your new tenants.

Hire a property manager

It can be overwhelming dealing directly with your tenants, especially if you have other investment properties or aren’t a full-time landlord. If you have the means to hire a property manager, it will make it easier for you, and you can take a step back from your property. Property managers take care of the paperwork, arranging of maintenance, interacting with tenants, and making sure everything is done above board and in accordance with the law.

Clean everything

Once your last tenant moves out, you have to get in there and clean the entire place from top to bottom. Anything less than sparkling clean won’t look good to prospective tenants, so either spend a weekend doing the work yourself or hire a cleaning company to professionally clean the whole property. It’s important to make sure every nook and cranny is clean, especially the tough-to-reach spots like underneath kitchen appliances.

Replace the locks

It isn’t a necessity, but it’s a good idea to change the locks after each tenancy ends. Even though your past tenants may have returned their keys, you don’t know who they made copies for who still have them. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and replacing your locks will give your new tenants peace of mind as well. You can get a fast response service as well if you need to change the locks in a pinch.

Arrange for repairs

Everything should be in good working order before you start advertising your property for rent. Make sure to go through the house and test all the appliances and fixtures, as well as check all the plumbing to double-check that nothing is clogged. If you have a property manager, they can take care of all of this for you and issue you a report so you’re up-to-date.

If you are tackling this yourself, it’s a good idea to consult the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 so you can see exactly what standards your property needs to be held to before renting it out. If there are any issues with your property not meeting legal requirements, you must address them immediately.

Have professional staging done

Your advertisement for your rental will be much more appealing and successful if it looks professional. The photos in your listing make a huge difference; the goal is obviously to present your property well enough that people can imagine themselves living there and making the space their own. You can do this by ensuring the property is bright, tidy and looking its best. If you have the capacity to do so, you could hire a professional stager or property stylist to make it look even more professional.