change depending on where you live. And this doesn’t just mean state to state or even city to city; the legalities of some landlord- tenant relationships can vary within a city or neighborhood. So please ensure you have in place a great lease that is specifically tailored to your location—the local area, the exact city or town, the precise neighborhood, etc., so that all your bases are covered. Later on, we'll talk more about the all-important lease.
NOT CHECKING ON THE PROPERTY REGULARLY
Many homeowners who rent out their property run into trouble when they don’t bother, or forget, to check in on the house on a regular basis. They assume that by screening and choosing a great tenant, that the tenant is just automatically going to take care of the home. Big mistake! Maybe the tenant could be trashing the place, either through neglect or damage (or both), and the owner has no idea because they didn’t check up on the house for a year. Then, when they finally do—let’s say the owner is moving back, the tenant is moving out, or the tenant is evicted—the home and property are so damaged that expensive repairs are in order. So, how to avoid this potential catastrophe? You need to check on your house a minimum of every six months during the tenant’s residency. That way, if there are any minor issues that arise, you can deal with them early on; if there are bigger issues, you can deal with them, too, and either evict the tenant due to the extensive damage they’ve caused, or ensure they pay for the damages before you allow them to continue living there. This bears repeating: Just like you simply must screen your rental candidates, so must you check up on your house regularly, and often. Don’t let more than six months go by in between inspections, during which time you need to look at the entire house and property to ensure they’re in the same condition and being taken care of. Go through every single room, carefully.
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