As a property management company, we frequently interact with our tenants. Most tenant communications are pleasant. However, some of the conversations are not as pleasant. Regardless of pleasant or not, we strive to give the best customer service. Alright, customer service is not the point of this post (even though we love customer service) so let’s move on to my point. Sometimes these unpleasant conversations come about from tenants who make some common mistakes.
The common mistakes we have seen tenants make follow:
- Not communicating with your property management company – Tenants need to develop a good rapport with their property management company. Part of these communications may be maintenance items, payment questions or lease questions. Tenants should look at their property management company as a friend and not foe. And, if you are going to be late on rent, communicate this with your property manager as well. Your property manager would rather know you are late than avoiding rent payment.
- Failing to document property condition – Upon move-in, every competent property manager should provide tenants with a move-in checklist. This may be completed with the property manager present or this may be done within the first 72 hours of move-in. During the excitement of moving in, sometimes tenants do not do a thorough job documenting the property’s condition. As a result, the tenant may be docked for property damage that may have existed upon move-in.
- Renting sight unseen – Some property management companies will not allow a lease to be signed without a tenant viewing the property. We support this in most cases. While pictures and videos can do a great job showing the property, it never does enough justice as seeing the property in person. So, be careful when signing a lease on a property you haven’t seen.
- Passing on renters insurance – Renters insurance is critical for tenants. Not only will renters insurance cover your personal property if the rental unit is damaged but it goes farther than that. It will also cover liability if someone is to be injured at your rental unit. And, if your rental unit is damaged, renters insurance will provide temporary lodging until your unit is habitable again. So, for just a few hundred dollars a year, renters insurance should be carefully considered.
Hopefully, this list is helpful to tenants preparing to lease a property. While this list is not exhaustive, these are typical mistakes that tenants make.
If you are a property owner or investment owner in need of property management services in Northern Colorado, we would be honored to become your property management partner. Please contact us today to learn more about our company and why we are the premier property management company in Northern Colorado.