The Necessary Expenses Of Being A Landlord

Landlords generally buy property with the intent of getting money out of it, so putting money in may seem like a self-defeating thing. But as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make it, and there are some short term costs you should give in to, so as to save yourself greater costs later in the future. Here are some of the major ones.

1. Landscaping: It is worth spending money on landscaping. The expenses would include costs for the property water bill and the landscaper. Even though your tenant would be greatly excited with a well kept yard, but the reality is that he would hardly put in any efforts to maintain it. You could act in a wise manner and install the reasonably priced sprinklers and leave it up to the gardeners to take care of it.

By contrast this may come off as really obvious, but you simply cannot get by in today’s market as a landlord without ads. If no one knows you’ve got property for rent, no one’s going to be knocking on your door asking for the privilege of paying you. A simple sign on the lawn noting that you’re renting will help if you live in a busy area, but if you’re a little off the beaten path you’ll want something more assertive. If you’re in the latter situation, the internet comes highly recommended. While newspapers are slowly dying and have expensive asking prices for ads, the internet is only becoming more popular and ads on it are often very cheap and affordable.

When those prospective tenants finally find you, they’re going to want to deal with a company; something that looks professional and trustworthy rather than just a single person who may or may not be competent! A small investment can net you an 800 number and a P.O. box, giving yourself both a separate place for tenants to contact you and professional looking contact info. This carries the added benefit of privacy, preventing your tenants from knowing where you live, or getting their calls on your cell phone at all hours! You must be sure to keep boundaries set. Your tenants can tend to feel entitled, and if they do develop such attitudes, let it all go to your alternate contacts. In this manner you can keep your life separate and not be enslaved.

Once you find someone suitable to lease from your property, you’ll want to have a good, solid lease that’s fully compliant with any state laws. Don’t just pick up a generic one from some office supply place, really take the time (and necessary money) to obtain a reliable leasing agreement. Make SURE that you know the state laws, and be certain that whoever you turn to to get your agreement made does too. Time and money spent now can save potentially thousands later on.

5. 3-Day Notices: You should take active measures without any fear against the tenants who do not pay rent in a timely manner. If you are prompt enough to send him a 3-Day notice to pay or vacate the very first time he is late in paying rent, you can guarantee that he would never be late again.

Be firm and give the tenant the notice the EXACT day that you find it necessary to do so. This is where that alternate contact info will help you again- having it come from Management rather than from you lets Management be the “bad guys” instead of you. With good investments made in landscaping, contacts and a lease, your place well-advertised and you being quick with notices, you’ll save yourself literally thousands and your career as a landlord will become as profitable as you’ve hoped.

Layla Vanderbilt is the webmaster for a leading property management software review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.