There is more than one way to improve the curb appeal of a rental property. But making sure that its level stays up is a different story. Different things have to be done and kept track of, especially if your property is occupied by a long-term tenant. To help make sure the curb appeal of your Cedar Park rental property is nice and good, one of the best pieces of advice is to ask the help of your tenant. Making sure that the property is kept in good condition depends heavily on the tenants. The best scenario would be to have residents who are also interested in keeping the property in tip-top shape. So, with the aid of some simple strategies, and with good communication, your Cedar Park property’s curb appeal can be elevated and maintained– one tenant at a time.
Start with Your Lease
Clear communication of your expectations about property maintenance starts with the lease documents. It makes sense as this is the document that spells out what you’ve agreed upon, including what you expect from each other. All rental property owners would be really glad if they had a tenant that would take good care of their property. But even if you think your tenant fits that description, it’s crucial that you put those expectations in writing. Your document needs to explain those expectations clearly. Many landlords will see to it that any mess that the tenant makes will be cleaned up promptly. But what if you could prevent those messes from being made in the first place? Let’s say you have a tenant that parks their vehicle in the driveway and does vehicle maintenance there. If they change the oil there, most likely, it would leave some oil stains behind. That wouldn’t look good at all. However, if you can discourage them from doing oil changes or other similar messy jobs on the driveway, then you’ll be solving the problem even before it becomes a problem. By doing this, you’ll be certain that the front exterior of your property will stay clean and attractive. So, by making clear which tenant activities are okay and which are prohibited, you can start off your tenant-landlord relationship on the right foot.
Encourage Cooperation
You can encourage your tenant’s cooperation in maintaining the property in other ways. Get to know your tenant more. You may see that they have a skill that could help you. For example, they could be tapped to help with your property’s landscaping. If your tenant has a knack for landscape maintenance or has a green thumb, you can enlist them to help out with the front yard. They can also pitch in to help with the other areas of the property. They may appreciate the fact that they have a say in the appearance of the rental house. With this additional investment they make, they are more likely to be willing to put in some extra effort to keep the place looking neat and tidy.
Offer Incentives
Another way to encourage your tenant to help you increase your property’s appeal is to give different types of incentives. If your tenant words well with their hands, then you can ask them to do the basic maintenance for the property in exchange for a discounted rental rate. Or, perhaps you can consider the alternative: hire a professional to do the maintenance work but charge a slightly higher rent. Depending on who your tenant is, they may rather pay more rent to avoid having to weed flower beds and mow the lawn every week.
No matter what method you and your tenant agreed upon, always remember to keep a close eye on exterior maintenance. As soon as you notice some issues starting to develop, offer encouragement and help to your tenant so you could solve them before they become a huge problem. Engage in frequent communication with your tenant and make sure they are positive conversations. This can help alert you if maintenance tasks are neglected or improperly done.
Finally, know that the best way to encourage someone to do something is to first display that same behavior. Show your tenant that you care about the property and they will, likewise, care for it too. Scheduling regular maintenance and updates and answer repair requests right away does a lot to motivate your tenant to help keep your property’s appeal strong.
Would you like more information about increasing your property’s curb appeal? Give Real Property Management Longhorn a call at 512-580-3099! Our Cedar Park property management professionals can offer suggestions and assistance with everything from property maintenance to tenant relations. Contact us today!
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
