Becoming a Landlord – Tips for New Landlords

Becoming a landlord may be an extremely successful approach for producing a reliable monthly income. Understanding the fundamentals of being a landlord will help you prepare for the obligations of managing your rentals before you open your pocketbook. In this article, we will go over the pros and cons of being a landlord and new landlords tips. 

Is Becoming a Landlord a Good Fit for You?

Becoming a landlord brings a big range of responsibilities. Advertising vacancies, screening tenants, appraising and acquiring rental properties, conducting periodic maintenance, and making repairs are all part of the job.

A landlord also needs skills in rent collection, maintaining the records, handling taxes, establishing and enforcing rental agreement rules, and evicting tenants that do not comply. So before you invest, be sure you understand the pros and cons.

Landlord Pros and Cons

Pros

• Rental property may provide monthly income.
• Typically, real estate is considered a safe investment.
• Property owners can deduct depreciation and other expenses. Active investors can also deduct their costs from their other income.
• Possibility of leveraging existing property for funding other projects.

Cons

• Concerns about laws concerning local landlord-tenant rules might land you in court and jeopardize your finances.
• The average percentage of rental properties that are vacant in the US is 9.7%.
• Almost half of all landlords have had to evict a renter. Evictions can be costly.
• The responsibilities of a landlord, even for one rental, can be time-consuming. On average, most landlords receive six calls each year for maintenance.

New Landlord Tips

If you find that you do not have the time or do not want to handle the day in and day out responsibilities on your own, a property manager can help. Overseeing properties becomes more straightforward with experience, and landlords may avoid the most common and costly mistakes by following these guidelines.

Purchase Rentals in Prime Areas

One crucial factor in a successful rental is the property’s location. Renters value amenities such as walkable communities near public transit, parks, decent schools, and beautiful vistas.

Choose locations with strong job growth, significant businesses nearby, or planned development projects for increased property appreciation. These advantages may entice first-time tenants.

Make Use of Your Assets

Finance and refinance your real estate. Borrowing against your rentals frees up funds for you to buy more rentals and expand your rental property portfolio.

If you purchase a property at auction and pay cash, you may refinance and get back 75% of your money. You may often borrow 80% and put down 20% when financing a rental purchase.

Choose Rentals With a Positive Cashflow

Surprisingly, many new landlords choose homes that cost them money every month. Therefore, ascertain that your property will provide a positive cash flow and be conservative in your revenue and spending predictions.

Vet Your Tenants 

The most common error that landlords make is neglecting to vet potential tenants. For example, a tenant might look responsible and upstanding by dressing nicely and speaking respectfully.

However, even the nicest people miss payments, break regulations, and upset their neighbors. So, without exception, check credit scores and follow up on references.

Creating a Budget

A common mistake individuals make when becoming a landlord is underestimating expenditures or overestimating revenue. You’ll need accurate projections for rental income and vacancies. Before purchasing a home, get quotes for property insurance, property managers, lawn care, and other service providers. 

Identify all monthly expenditures for repairs, maintenance, management, insurance, utilities paid by you, and HOA dues. Also, consider the costs associated with vacancies, meaning you’ll incur advertising costs on vacant properties.

Depending on the condition of the rental and the age, seasoned investors save 1% to 3% of the property value for maintenance. In addition, it is advised that you should have two to three months’ gross rent per unit saved up to cover unforeseen expenditures.

Determine How Much You Will Charge for Rent

Several resources are available to help you estimate the rental rate for homes similar to yours. Conduct an internet search for available rentals in your area. To gather comparables (“comps”) for your home, you may use a rent estimator service like Rentometer to help. Additionally, you will want to order an income property appraisal. The appraiser will will provide you with information on the rental rates in your market area.

Vacant Properties

If you purchase a rental property that is vacant, plan to spend time making repairs, advertising, and screening potential tenants. Set aside money for maintenance and unanticipated expenses.

Expect to spend up to 3% of your property’s worth on upkeep and repairs each year. If your rental property is in poor condition or is older, you may need to set aside even more money. New properties with outstanding renters may be OK with a 1% budget, so you may save money by accepting only exceptional tenants who take care of the property.

Consider Extra Costs

In addition to your maintenance expenditures, you will need to account for other expenses including property insurance, screening, background checks, promoting your rental property, and possibly legal fees if problems emerge.

Preparing Your Property

Make sure your home is safe for renters before renting it out for the first time. Hire an expert to ensure that your electrical, heating and plumbing systems are in working order.

You should test all appliances and smoke alarms and repair holes, leaks, or cracks. Additionally, you will need to change the locks, check the safety of decks, railings, and steps.

Tenant-Proofing

You may cut repair, replacement, and maintenance expenditures by tenant-proofing your property. Tenant-proofing is the process of selecting durable finishes and furnishings and making efforts to extend the life of a building.

Install long-lasting bamboo, vinyl, or laminate flooring: Carpet stains and natural wood floors are more easily ruined. It’s also a good idea to eliminate any loose rugs that might provide a tripping hazard if someone falls over them.

Install door stoppers: It’s probably impractical to expect your tenants to open every door gently and carefully every time. However, if someone eagerly flings a door open, door stoppers safeguard your walls and doors.

Paint using glossy, washable products: While durable, glossy paint costs a little more, irresponsible tenants may easily damage inexpensive matte paint. It is preferable to clean off filthy walls rather than repaint them every time.

Tenant-proof your lease: Having a good lease is one of the most effective strategies to tenant-proof your property. Require them to notify you of any leaks or water damage that might lead to mold growth.

Conducting a Maintenance Check

Be sure to perform regular maintenance checks on your property at least twice a year and between renters. Detecting potential issues early with your property may be less expensive to repair. It can also assist you in avoiding accidents and potential responsibility and understanding how effectively your renter cares for the property.

Seasonal tasks: Standard maintenance procedures, such as replacing furnace filters, clearing gutters, and turning sprinkler systems on and off, occur every year. Schedule your maintenance inspections to coincide with these chores.

Preventative maintenance: includes recaulking bathrooms, fixing screens, and cleaning your water heater to avoid water damage and bug infestations. Check out our routine maintenance blog for more information. 

Health and security: Smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, and fire extinguishers should be tested. Most states make it unlawful to remove or disable smoke detectors. Also, check that the locks on the outside doors, gates, and windows are in good working order.

Renter compliance: During your maintenance inspection, you will have the opportunity to see how well a tenant respects the property and follows your regulations. Unapproved pets, roommates, and sublets are all examples of common transgressions. However, you can’t surprise renters – you only have the right to enter the home with “reasonable” notice or in an emergency.

Finding a Tenant

Many first-time landlords underestimate the significance of finding a suitable renter. Look for reputable renters that pay their rent on time, take care of the property, and stay for several years. The following pointers may be helpful:

If your property appears neglected, it will be challenging to find a responsible tenant. Better homes receive more applications, allowing you to be more selective. In addition, a well-maintained residence encourages tenants to respect it.

Screen, screen, and more screen

With a few inquiries upfront, you can remove some undesirable prospects. These include questions concerning roommates, pets, smoking status, and the reasons for leaving their prior property. In addition, you avoid credit discrimination; make sure to ask everyone the same questions.

Order credit, criminal, and eviction reports next. Finally, call the previous landlords of your top possible renters and inquire about their payment history, relationships with neighbors, and the state of the property at the time of their departure.

Keep Your Property Safe

Becoming a landlord means you now have the responsibility to protect both your tenant and yourself. Tenant Rights and Responsibilities specify what renters are permitted to do with the property, such as making improvements, smoking indoors, having pets, engaging in unlawful behavior, adding roommates without authorization, and removing appliances. Your rental agreement should include everything that renters are required to undertake, such as watering the lawn, alerting the landlord of damage or safety problems, and explaining lengthy absences.

We hope you found this article on becoming a new landlord helpful! At Real Property Management Consultants, we have over 30 years of residential property management experience and are here to help. We make property management and maintenance stress-free! Contact us today to find out how we can help.