Being a landlord, you’d hope that your rental property will offer you great investments with minimum accountability. However, more often than not, it’s not the case.
Based on your local laws, there are various landlord responsibilities that you will need to follow. Similarly, tenants have some responsibilities too.
Ensure to consult an attorney as they will be able to delineate the duties of the landlords and tenants. You must discuss everything with your tenant to figure out which tasks are your responsibilities and which tasks are the tenant’s responsibilities.
Landlord Responsibilities
Not only are the landlords responsible for offering a clean and healthy living environment, but also a safe one. You need to follow various local building codes and state laws to offer a livable condition to the tenants. Here are some of the landlord duties:
1. Offer Habitable Living
There are various obligations as specified by the local laws. Understanding your state and local laws will ensure that you offer a healthy, responsible environment to your residents.
Consider having regular inspections and checks and getting any required repairs to adhere to those standards.
2. A Quiet Livable Environment for Everyone
If your tenant is disturbing other tenants on the property, it is your responsibility to look into the situation and handle them. One of the things you should do is speak to the tenant about the issue.
There are chances that they might not know that they are disrupting the other neighbors. You can either call them, meet them in person, or give them a warning about the noise.
3. Offer The Unit In The Best Condition
Landlords should offer the unit in the best condition to the tenant, such as clean carpets and tightened hardwood. Consider a walk through before renting the property. It will help minimize any unexpected repairs during the tenant’s stay at your property.
4. Maintain The Safety Of The Tenant
Ask your local attorney for the legal responsibilities to maintain the tenant’s safety. These are some actions every landlord needs to take, irrespective of the location:
Maintain the locks: Before your new tenants move in, rekey the locks and make sure all the locks are functional.
5. Perform Repairs As And When Required
One of the landlord’s responsibilities is taking care of the repair requests in the rental property . Here are some of the duties which the landlords are responsible for:
– Heating or air conditioning
– Electricity
– Indoor plumbing
– Flooding
– Security concerns
– Mold
-Pest Infestation
Responsibilities of The Tenant
Finally, you have found an ideal home after searching a lot; however, tenants also have different responsibilities to handle. Here are some of them mentioned:
1. Take Good Care of The Rental Property
Tenants are mainly responsible for keeping the unit clean and tidy after moving in. Some of them include discarding the trash, preventing mold growth, rust, dirt, and maintenance of appliances.
2. Save The Property From Any Excessive Damage
Apart from keeping the rental unit clean, you should avoid causing excessive damage due to negligence. There can be normal wear and tear; however, damages that leave the property in worse conditions are not acceptable.
3. Tell The Landlord As Soon As An Issue Comes Up
One of your main responsibilities as a tenant is to inform the landlord as soon as any major repair issue arises in the house. If you fail to do so, then you are liable for the additional damages that occur because of it.
How To Take Care of Rental Property Maintenance As A Landlord?
Much of rental property maintenance requires a licensed professional, including electrical work, roof work, and major plumbing repairs. As a landlord, you can choose to invest in a home warranty for your rental property.
It will help you easily plan and protect your budget from unexpected repairs and maintenance in return for an annual or monthly maintenance fee. Not only will you save money, but you won’t also require to spend all your emergency funds at once to get something fixed.
Final Words
Mentioned above are some of the duties and responsibilities of a landlord and tenant. By understanding your respective duties, you can easily keep a good bond with each other and safely maintain the property.