How to Be a Good Landlord
November 2, 2009 by Customer Care
How to Be a Good Landlord in Des Moines, By Des Moines Real Estate Experts RE/MAX Real Estate Concepts
Letting out your property in Des Moines brings with it the prodigious responsibilities of a landlord. If you are a good landlord you will gain esteem, popularity and admiration from your tenants and reap profits legally. Here are some tips you could follow to be a successful landlord in Iowa.
Tip #1- You can be a good landlord only if your tenant is good. This calls for proper selection of the tenant after interviewing them well. Discriminating the tenant on the basis of caste, creed, color, religion, marital status or gender is not the sign of a good landlord and should be avoided.
Tip #2- You should give details about monthly rent, property description, deposits and restrictions in the advertisement of the to let property itself. You must make the tenant fill up a rental form. You must prepare a tenancy agreement and make a copy of it accessible to the tenant. The rental accord must clearly mention the period of notice for vacation of property by the tenant. This is usually 1-2 months.
Tip #3- To be a good landlord you need to abide by the local laws of Iowa without fail. For ensuring this you need to know the housing regulations of your Iowa. You can find out these laws by consulting a local real estate attorney or local rental housing authorities. You should find out local building code regulations and health and security rules for let out properties. You have the responsibility to ensure that gas, sanitary, electrical and heating installations are working efficiently.
You need to make arrangements for annual checks of electrical apparatus in the rental house by an electrician. You also need to procure a gas safety certificate from a CORGI registered gas fitter each year as this is legally required.
Ensuring the safety and security of your tenants through installation of alarms, fire extinguisher and locks is also a necessary action on the part of the landlord. Though tenants may not like paying deposits, it is in the interest of the landlord to take safety deposits to meet eviction expenses when the tenant fails to pay rent.
Tip #4- You must treat the tenant well. Respect his privacy by giving adequate notice before performing home inspections. Provide copy of full inventory and make sure all furniture, fixtures and apparatus are in good condition before you let out your property. If on inspection you find damages give notice to the tenant in writing that they will have to incur repairing expenses.
There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Des Moines real estate. For complete information about the Des Moines real estate market including saleable homes, property values and more please visit the comprehensive website online dedicated to everything Des Moines real estate at Real Estate with RE/MAX. Please feel free to contact us with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and we will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call us at 1-800-708-5890 or email us at dsm@realestateconcepts.net.
Filed under Des Moines Real Estate Blog
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