Renting your property to other people is not just a matter of finding good renters that you can trust, but there are other factors as well. You need to ensure that the people that rent your property can take care of your property like they are taking care of their own property. It is also necessary that you protect the safety of your renters as well as the security of your property in order to keep your property in good condition.
As a landlord, you have certain responsibilities to ensure that your renters are comfortable with the property that they are renting. This is especially true when it comes to security. You need to ensure the property you own is always secure from intruders all the time. Otherwise, it would be bad for your business in the long term.
Here are the 5 landlord responsibilities to keep your rental property safe from intruders:
1. Ensure that the Environment/Neighborhood Remains Safe
If you are renting several properties in one neighborhood, you need to make sure that your neighborhood remains safe all the time for your tenants. Remember that intruders will usually target houses that are located in an unsafe neighborhood, meaning the neighborhood or environment that doesn’t have any strict security measures in it, such as in the open neighborhood where there are no security staff guarding the area.
So, keeping your neighborhood safe is the first step to keep your property secure all the time. Hiring some security staff might be a good idea to help regulate the security in your neighborhood, especially if you own several or many properties that you want to rent in the area.
2. Ensure that Each Rented Unit is Equipped with Security System
Now, you should focus on the individual property unit. Installing a security system in each rented unit will give your tenants a significant boost in comfort when they are living in your property. Moreover, it will also give you a peace of mind knowing that your rented units will be free from intruders.
This is an investment that you need to make to ensure that your rented houses are safe and all valuable items remain intact. You should at least install strong locks for the doors and windows as well as the alarm system and some security cameras.
3. Ensure that Each Security/Repair Request from Tenants is Being Responded Immediately
Your tenants are the one living and staying in your property, so they know best the condition of the rented unit that they are living in. Thus, you should regard each repair or security request from your tenants as a serious request, and you should respond immediately to such requests.
If your tenants report to you that the window is broken and needs to be replaced, you should replace it immediately. This is to ensure that there are no security holes in your rented unit, which can be used by intruders to break into it. It is the same when the tenants are requesting to add some security tools into the rented unit.
4. Ensure that the Property and the Tenants are Covered with Insurance
Having an insurance is important for both you as the landlord and the tenants. Paying for a homeowner insurance will help cover any damages caused by various potential threats, such as intruders, fire incidents, natural disasters, and the like. This is especially important to have since you are renting your property to other people.
For the tenants, having a renter’s insurance is also important to keep them covered when there are some incidents that might threaten their safety when they are staying in the rented unit. You can add this renter’s insurance cost to the overall rental cost to ensure that your tenants have the best safety and security protection available.
5. Always Provide Maximum Privacy for the Tenants
Not only you should ensure maximum safety and security for your tenants, you should also make sure that they have the maximum privacy when they stay in your property. Remember that they are paying the rental costs, so it is your responsibility to respect their privacy and keep them feeling comfortable.
As regard with security, if you need to install some security cameras to your rental units, be sure not to install them in places where your tenants don’t feel comfortable having. For instance, if they don’t want them installed in the living room, then don’t do it. Also, you need to follow the local regulations regarding the best places to install your security cameras in your rental property.