We have two pieces of news for you: The holiday season is just around the corner, and as a landlord, you should create a pre-holiday checklist to get prepared. Before you start decorating your Christmas tree, consider the following tips that will help you to effectively manage your rental properties and keep in touch with your renters during the holidays:
Resolve all Maintenance Issues Prior to the Holidays
Most service professionals are usually not available during the holidays, so double check if there are work orders that need to be done beforehand. Get the contact numbers for service pros who work during the holiday season and could come by and resolve a maintenance issue in case of emergency. Remember that it’s easier to prevent problems than fix them. Ask your tenants if they need assistance, especially if you are planning to go out of town or take a few days off. More importantly, develop a strategy to share with your tenants if they suddenly encounter maintenance issues with the rental.
Some tenants may want to go on vacation as well, and it would be awesome if they notified you of their plans in advance. Encourage them to deep clean the apartment, store keys safely, and establish an auto-watering system if there are any indoor plants.
Related: 10 Cheap Ideas To Make A Rental Feel Neat, Sweet and Cozy
Collect Rent Payments in Advance
Before the holidays, ensure all bills are paid and rent payments have successfully reached your account. Why is it so important? During the festive season we like to spend more time with our relatives and friends instead of managing bills and finances. Collecting rent payments in advance is a great option offered by multiple property management software systems like TenantCloud. Use that option and leave the financial affairs behind—at least for the holiday season.
Check Home Security/Alarm System
Remember the scenes from the legendary movie Home Alone? Consider the security lessons we can learn in order to protect rental properties from burglars! If your tenants have decided to stay home during the holidays, then no precautionary actions are required, except for making sure all the appliances work properly and there are no issues with the lights or heating system. This will ensure you enjoy your time without receiving a lot of calls from your tenants regarding trivial problems that can be easily solved. However, if they do have vacation plans, it’s a good idea to check the security and alarm system, as Christmas is the busiest time for burglars. Also ask your renters to unplug electronics, lock doors and windows—and don’t forget about back doors. It may make sense to let the neighbors know that the tenants are leaving for a while and ask them to watch over the rental.
Very often people don’t decorate their home if they aren’t going to be there during the holidays. This makes the residence an easy target for burglary and other crimes. Just think of the scene where Kevin turned the music and lights on to make it look like a Christmas party. This obviously scared off the burglars.
Related: Decorating Rental Apartment Ideas: Pros Of Minimalist Style
Prepare Greeting Cards and Provide Discounts
Do you receive paper greeting cards these days? It may seem old-fashioned, but sweet notes sent to tenants cannot be underestimated and can help you stay connected with each other. Offering your renters a discount would also be a pretty generous gesture. Use it at least once and you’ll see your relationship with your renters become better and more dependable!
Do you have anything else on your pre-holiday to-do list? Don’t hesitate to share your ideas and leave comments below.
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