There are numerous techniques to increase the curb appeal of a rental property. Though maintaining curb appeal is an entirely different issue, especially if your property is home to a long-term tenant. To help maintain the curb appeal of your Newport rental property in top form, one of the best solutions you can do is to enlist the help of your tenant. Keeping your property in good condition is greatly dependent on finding conscientious tenants who will be just as interested and motivated to keep the property in the best condition as you. With some efficient communication and a few simple, worry-free strategies, you can increase and maintain your Newport property’s curb appeal – one tenant at a time.
Start with Your Lease
Clear communication of your expectations concerning property maintenance begins with your lease documents. All rental property owners yearn for a tenant who will take good care of the property, but even if you imagine yours will, it’s necessary to really clearly explain those expectations in writing. Numerous landlords will say they need any messes the tenant makes to be cleaned up swiftly. However, what if you could hinder those messes before they even start? For instance, you have a tenant who wants to do their vehicle maintenance in the driveway. If they change the oil there, the odds are high that they will leave unsightly oil stains behind. But definitely, if you can discourage them from doing messy jobs like oil changes on the driveway, those oil stains will never happen in the first place, thereby keeping the front exterior of your property clean and good-looking. By clearly noting which tenant activities are permitted and which are not, you can help establish your tenant-landlord relationship for collective success.
Encourage Cooperation
You can boost your tenant’s cooperation in keeping up the property in many different ways, also. Try to get to know your tenant quite a bit, and put into service their skill set to help you maintain or increase your property’s landscaping. If your tenant has a good eye for landscape maintenance or a green thumb, enlist them to help you spruce up the front yard or other areas of the property a little bit. They may be open and excited to have a say in the appearance of the rental house, and with more investment in it, be more amenable to dedicate some extra effort to keep it looking tidy.
Offer Incentives
Another way to motivate and urge your tenant to assist you to increase your property’s appeal is to offer different varieties of incentives. If your tenant is skillful and handy, try offering a slightly discounted rental rate in exchange for basic maintenance performed on the property. Or, think of the alternative: for quite a bit of higher rent, offer to hire a professional to do some work for you. Subject to who your tenant is, they may be willing to pay more to avoid weeding flower beds and mowing the lawn each week.
Doesn’t matter what you do, one of the effective ways you can implement is to follow things closely and offer encouragement and help if you notice exterior maintenance issues starting to come up. Communicate frequently and positively with your tenant, which can definitely help alert you if maintenance tasks are left undone.
One last point, call to mind that the best solution to encourage your tenant to take good care of the property is to very clearly show to them that you care about the property, too. Scheduling regular maintenance and updates and responding to repair requests right away count a lot toward motivating your tenant to help you keep your property’s appeal strong.
Would you like more information on increasing your property’s curb appeal? Give Real Property Management Delta a call at 501-404-0674! Our Newport property management professionals can offer suggestions and assistance with everything from property maintenance to tenant relations. Contact us today!
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