Landlords: Because of the nature of the rental market, no matter how wonderful a tenant is, they will ultimately want to move on. They may have saved enough for a down payment on their own house, or they may need a bigger or smaller home. On the other hand, they may just want a change. The reason for them moving out isn’t important; what’s important is that this will happen. No landlord should expect a tenant to live in their property forever.
When this time arrives, it’s essential to make the property ready for the next tenants as quickly as possible to avoid losing rental revenue for too long. Here are some suggestions on how to ensure that you can re-rent your property without too long of a gap when it’s empty.
Inspect The Property
This is a task that is best done before the present tenant departs so that you can address any issues with them. If you cannot time things right, you will need to go to the property as quickly as possible after they leave to inspect everything. Alternatively, you can engage an inventory firm to perform the work for you. This can often be better since they will have an impartial view and give you a full report of any damage or mess left behind.
If there are any issues, you must address them with the tenant immediately. If they are unable or unwilling to resolve the problems, their deposit may be required to pay the cost of repairs, although this can be dealt with using a dispute service. Otherwise, the deposit must be returned to the renter within ten days of their departure date.
Clean It Up
Depending on how long the tenants occupied the property, you may need to repaint the walls, put up new wallpaper, or replace the carpeting. This is often due to normal wear and tear and is not the fault of your former tenants. Ideally, they will have cleaned everything before leaving, but you may need to hire a professional cleaning company to go in if this has not been done.
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You may also choose to personalize the home by putting in your own furnishings. Again, this isn’t essential, but it may help a house rent faster since potential tenants can see how they can make it their own. Speak to your letting agent about whether or not this is going to be necessary. In some areas where the rental market is strong, this would be a waste of time and effort. In others, it could be precisely what’s needed to ensure you rent the property quickly.
Change The Locks
Even if you had the most trustworthy and dependable tenant possible, it’s still a good idea to change the locks once they go. You never know whether there is a spare key or if duplicates were created. Of course, a rental agreement will usually require any copies to be turned in at the end of the tenancy, but if they can’t be located or have been forgotten or mislaid, you may never hear about them. You can guarantee that the home is secure and that future renters are the only ones with keys by changing the locks.
