Managing A Rental Property With Your Tenants In Mind

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If you are in a position to let out a property, and you want to make sure that you make the most of it, there are many things you are going to need to consider along the way. One of the most vital considerations here is to ensure that you are managing the property in such a manner that your tenants are going to be happy with the place, and with your management of it. There are a lot of facets to this, and we are going to take a look at some of the most important of them in this post.

Find The Right Tenants

First things first, it is always going to be hugely helpful if you can make a point of finding the right tenants before you do anything else. What do we mean by the right tenants? Simply, those people who are likely to enjoy the home for what it is. If you can find people of this kind, you essentially have a kind of head start when it comes to keeping them happy. You can be sure of finding those people simply by making a point of advertising the property in the right kind of way. In other words, you need to have a specific target demographic in mind first and foremost.

If you are able to do that, you should find that you can keep them happier so much easier - but all of the following ideas are going to be important as a part of this, too.

Handle Complaints Swiftly

From time to time, your tenants are going to have complaints about the property. This is likely to happen regardless of the scenario, of whether or not you are doing your job, although you will of course receive many more complaints if you are not doing things in the right way in other respects. But the way in which you handle complaints is likely to make an enormous difference too, especially in terms of how quickly you respond, and in what manner.

The more swift you are with your response to complaints, the more your tenants will believe that you really do care about them and their situation. You should aim to send a quick reply saying you will look into the matter - and then make sure you do that swiftly too, getting them whatever help they might need. You can also make this all so much easier by simply using a realtor or estate agent to do that kind of work for you.

Provide Security & Privacy

As anyone else does, your tenants too deserve to have a good deal of privacy and security. If they do not have this, then you are going to be in a very troublesome position indeed, which could be something along the lines of actually leaving the property and leaving you without any tenants at all. There are some basic ways in which you can ensure you are doing your part to keep your tenants safe and secure, and to uphold their need for privacy.

One of the most important is to leave them to it, and not to come knocking at random times without warning. As well as being illegal, this is also rude, and could amount to your tenants feeling a little claustrophobic, or as though they do not have their own space. You should always remember that the property is theirs while they are renting it out, not yours, and you can’t just bombard them with your presence.

It’s also worth considering installing a number of security features and functions in the property - for the sake of your tenants’ wellbeing, and also so you can keep your property safe too. For instance, you might want to install deadbolts and other security features on windows and doors, or possibly even install CCTV and burglar alarms. Anything you can do to help your tenants feel safe is bound to help you out in keeping them happy.

Keep The Contract

You should always draw up a contract with your tenants at the start of each tenancy, and you should aim to revisit it once a year and ensure that everything is still as it should be. On top of that, you should of course ensure that you are keeping your end of the contract at all times too, which is essential if you are trying to expect the same from your tenants. The contract should cover all reasonable situations that might crop up, especially any of those which are going to be particularly common or thorny in how they play out.

Remember that breaching the contract could open up the way for your tenants to breach it too, so you don’t want to go down that route. You should abide by the contract at all times if you want to keep things simple and ensure that your tenants are doing the same.

Regular Maintenance Checks

It is best to be a proactive landlord, and not simply wait for something to go wrong and to get the phone call or email from your tenant saying this has happened. It is better for everyone if you carry out regular maintenance checks instead, whether you do them yourself or you get someone else in to do them. In either case, you are going to find this helps to keep the place in check, and will reduce the amount of problems that your tenants run into.

Show Respect and Be Human

Finally, remember that tenants are always going to appreciate it if you can show a lot of respect and remember your human side - as well as their human side. This is not something that is always going to come easy, but as long as you are happy to consider it from time to time, you should find that it is actually a relatively easy thing to do. And it will be a huge step towards keeping your tenants happy and satisfied within your property, which is the most important thing we are aiming for here.

3 Most Desired Changes for the Living Room

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When talking with people over 2020 as to what they don’t like about their surroundings within the home, there have been many areas fit for an improvement.

Among these pivotal areas for a relaxing home, the living room area tends to be the focal point for any changes to happen, with a sense that adding more set pieces and changing flooring tastes on top of the new year wish list.

Three areas are highlighted here as the top desires within a new living room space.

Centre Features

Amazingly popular now is a reintroduction of coffee tables to living room areas.

Having a centrepiece such as a coffee table gives the ability to provide extra cosiness as well as give extra dimension to the room. Having large spaces between seating sometimes feels so awkward, especially now that many of us have to work from home. Many choose a wood effect or stone styled centrepiece to match their flooring (or which we will cover shortly) to give a sense of connectivity throughout the room.

Plus, it’s always good to have somewhere to put that cup of java whilst spending some time in front of the news.

Plants

Whether real or artificial, people are loving their large planets in corners of their room.

It is a calming atmosphere and brightens up dull corners by giving it a bit of natural beauty. It could be because lockdown’s have prevented us from visiting a lot of natural beauty spots or even holidays recently that has caused a rise in popularity in plant decor, or maybe it’s down to everyone being confined in their houses for prolonged periods and growing tired of their decor, but plants are providing a calm and relaxing aura around the living room.

Close to natural sunlight is required for these to survive if selecting a real plant.

Floors

A lot of shift away from carpets and hardwood floors towards products like luxury wood effect vinyl flooring is in vogue currently.

This is down to its comparative ease in maintenance (requiring only a simple brush and mop to keep clean) as well as its reinforced durability. People who want hardwood or stone style floors are also turning to lowest price Amtico Spacia flooring due to its perfect replication of the real product, with it being a fraction of the cost also.

Whilst people are sourcing more environmentally friendly options for their home, vinyl flooring has been a premier friendly product through years of development, making even the cheapest Amtico flooring in the UK is a fantastic investment along with upto 25 years warranty.

So what do you feel about your living room space this year?

What to Look for when Buying a Fixer Upper Home

The easiest, and the preferred option, is to buy a house that needs hardly any renovation work doing. That way, you can focus on moving into your new home without the hassle and stress that is synonymous with moving houses. Unfortunately, the real world is never straightforward, and the chances are that you can only afford a building that requires lots of tender loving care.

There’s no reason to panic because purchasing a fixer upper property has plenty of advantages, such as helping you to save money and allowing you to imbibe the interior and exterior with your personality. Still, there’s no denying that pitfalls exist since you’re going to invest in a house with structural and cosmetic issues.

With that in mind, it’s vital to cover as many bases as possible to avoid nasty surprises in the future. When you view a property that’s a work in progress, it’s challenging to concentrate on the essentials as there are so many features that catch your eye. As a result, it’s not unheard of for buyers to miss elements that make a massive difference to the buying process.

To avoid falling into this category, you should take a look at the following. These are the things to do when purchasing a home to renovate.

Ask The Right Questions Before & After A Viewing

A fixer upper is the kind of property that makes the most knowledgeable real estate people shudder with anticipation. The truth is that it’s impossible to figure out what is going on behind the outdated wallpaper with a ten-minute viewing alone. And, it’s not as if you can trust the estate agent to “be on your side.”

What you require is a professional, such as an architect, engineer, or surveyor, to take a look at the foundations and give their honest opinion. Of course, you’d never get around to an offer if you did this from the beginning, which is why most buyers view properties first.

During the viewing, you can do yourself a favour by asking pertinent questions relating to the history of the building itself and the owners. For instance, first-time buyers should always enquire about planning permission disputes and how the property compares to other listings on the road.

Regardless of the answer, you can use the internet to raise red flags after the viewing. If you ask about how much value the property has lost or gained in the last few years, you can confirm the agent’s answer via Google or Zoopla.

Invest In A Building Survey

Anyone who has been through the process of getting a building survey done might object at the term “invest.” This is because the cost is much higher than a homebuyers report, and it’s hard to watch your budget disappear before any of the work has started. However, a survey reveals things you will never know until the ink is dry on the deeds.

Firstly, it highlights structural problems that escalate out of control if they aren’t solved quickly. You can fix them, yet you might decide it’s not worth the fuss, not if your budget is small and the resale value low. Subsidence is a prime example since it’s hard to tell what’s happening underneath the ground, but a builder can spot the warning signs a mile away.

Secondly, a survey helps you to create a list of the things you need to do and how much they will cost. Whether you need scaffolding services or something bigger, it’s essential to have a list of repairs so that you can estimate the final costs.

You have to ensure you understand how much a renovation will cost to make sure it’s a smart investment.

Find Out More About The Owners

Smart owners keep their cards close to their chests. Why? It’s because you can use the smallest pieces of information to your advantage during negotiations. For instance, you might try to haggle for a lower price if you find out they are desperate for money to fund their house move. Bargaining isn’t for the faint hearted!

However, just because they might not tell you anything doesn’t mean you can find out more about them. There are several options at your disposal, starting with the estate agent as they work with both parties. Therefore, a casual conversation could reveal something that helps you to reduce your exposure.

Alternatively, there is the internet. By putting the sellers’ full names into a search engine, you can reveal pretty much everything you need to know, if there is anything worth knowing, of course. People post things on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all the time, so it’s worth checking social media profiles too.

When you find out your position is stronger than the owners’, it puts the ball firmly in the opposition’s side of the court.

Can You Live In It?

One question you’ll have to ask at some point is whether you can live in the house while you’re renovating. Please don’t jump to conclusions right away and let your excitement get in the way of reality. Remember that hurdles appear out of the blue during a renovation, which is why you should expect to spend 10% more than your budget and add a couple of months to your deadline.

As a result, it might not be feasible to live in your new house, especially if you have to put up with a building site for six months to a year. Even if the work will be quick, you could have to do without essentials. For example, a kitchen remodel will make it challenging to cook food.

In this instance, you must find a way to provide for your needs, and your family’s, since you can’t exist without food! It’s about more than money - it should be a mix between cutting costs and dealing with stress. The latter is unhealthy, which is why you want as little of it as possible, or else your fixer upper home could harm your wellbeing.

There are many hidden problems to look out for, so hopefully this post helps to simplify the process.