There are a lot of ways to improve the curb appeal of a rental property. But maintaining curb appeal is a different story, especially if you have a long-term tenant renting your property. To help maintain the curb appeal, it’s best to involve your tenant. Have them help out for the good of the Hoover rental property since it would benefit them as well anyway. Keeping your property in good condition greatly relies on having conscientious tenants. The best tenants are the ones who are as interested as you are in keeping the property in good condition. So, with the use of good communication and executing some simple strategies, you’ll be able to get and maintain better curb appeal for your Hoover property– one tenant at a time.
Start with Your Lease
Clear communication of your expectations concerning property maintenance begins with the documents that start your landlord-tenant relationship– the lease documents. All rental property owners would be really glad to have a tenant who would take good care of their property. However, even though you think you have the best tenant, you must explain those expectations in writing. And make sure it’s easily understood. Many landlords would demand that any mess made by the tenant must be immediately cleaned up. But what if those messes could have been prevented? There would be no need to clean anything up! For example, what if your tenant parks their vehicle in the driveway and proceeds to do some vehicle maintenance? If they change the oil there, it would most probably leave oil stains. That would be unsightly. But if you can discourage them from doing oil changes on the driveway, or performing any messy job for that matter, then you’d be solving the problem before it even begins. No oil stain on the driveway means that your property will continue to have a clean and attractive front exterior. So, by writing down clearly which tenant activities are permissible and which are not, you are guarding your tenant-landlord relationship from any unnecessary friction. This is a huge step toward collective success.
Encourage Cooperation
There are different ways to encourage your tenant to cooperate with keeping up the property. Get to know your tenant a little bit. You may discover that they have the skill set that’s valuable to you. For instance, they could be a great help for your property’s landscaping. If you discover that your tenant has the natural skill for landscaping and landscape maintenance, you can enlist them to help spruce up the front yard. They could also use their green thumb on the other areas of the property. They may be glad that they get a say in what the rental house looks like. This additional agency they have will give them the incentive to put in more effort to keep the place looking nice and tidy.
Offer Incentives
Another way to encourage your tenant to help you increase your property’s appeal is to propose different types of incentives. If your tenant is naturally handy, think about offering them a discounted rental rate. They could enjoy this lower rate in exchange for them doing the basic maintenance on the property. Or, think of the alternative: for a bit higher rent, they can have a professional hired to do some of that work instead. Depending on who your tenant is, they may prefer to pay more to avoid the work. They may think that not having to do the tasks of weeding flower beds or mowing the lawn each week are worth the higher amount.
No matter how you choose to go about it, always be on the lookout for exterior maintenance problems that are starting to develop. Then encourage and help your tenant before they become an issue. Communicate with your tenant frequently and positively. This can help alert you if there are any maintenance tasks left undone.
Finally, know that it’s only when you model a behavior, that other people would more likely follow your lead. That means, if you show your tenant that you care about the property and its maintenance, they will, likewise, care for it as well. For example, when you schedule regular maintenance and updates, or when you respond to repair requests promptly– these do a lot for your tenant’s motivation. They’ll willingly help keep your property’s appeal strong.
Would you like to know more about increasing your property’s curb appeal? Give Real Property Management Victory a call at 205-793-0700! Our Hoover property management professionals can offer suggestions and assistance with everything from property maintenance to tenant relations. Contact us today!
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