Are some of your tenants violating the terms of their rental lease agreement? Perhaps they're keeping certain pets that you don't allow, hosting loud parties, or even refusing to pay rent on time.
If that's happening, you're probably skimping on lease enforcement. If you turn a blind eye to lease violations, tenant satisfaction will decline, as will the occupancy rate.
Knowing how to go about rental agreement enforcement helps with landlord rights protection and can maximize your rental income.
Continue reading for handy lease compliance tips and insights.
Understanding Tenant Rights and Landlord Obligations
As a rental property owner, you have rights over your asset and how it can be used. However, tenants have rights as well. There are things you cannot do when you're using the property as a rental.
For example, you cannot prohibit a tenant from hosting a person from a certain race or religion. Under federal and California law, housing discrimination is illegal.
As such, when drawing up your lease agreements, ensure that they're not violating tenant rights. It's advisable to hire a landlord or real estate attorney to help you create a legally sound rental lease before you start getting tenant applications.
Strategies for Preventing Lease Violations
The goal is to keep the incidences of these violations few and far between, which means you need to have a strategy for preventing them from happening.
Ensure the lease agreement has outlined the consequences of various violations. Sometimes a tenant will go against a landlord's rules simply because they're sure nothing will happen to them. Imposing fines and issuing eviction warnings are effective tools for preventing lease violations.
Invest in comprehensive tenant screening. In addition to doing credit checks and verifying employment income, go a step further and talk to the renter's previous landlords. Having tenants without a record of lease violations helps ensure you won't be dealing with violations every other day.
Inspect your properties regularly. Some violations can go undetected for a long time unless you physically inspect the property. Frequent inspections will send a message that you have your eyes on the ground, possibly deterring some renters from breaking your rules.
The Rental Agreement Enforcement Process
Leases are there to be violated, just as rules are there to be broken!
No, seriously... no matter how meticulously you choose your tenants, you'll always deal with lease violations from time to time.
You must respond to a lease violation quickly, in accordance with your established procedures. For example, you can send a notice of violation describing the specific issue and the steps the tenant needs to take. Be firm with your actions, otherwise the tenant may fail to take you seriously.
Stay on Top of Lease Enforcement
Owning a rental property in Menifee is a smart move, but your job is not done. Lease enforcement is a big responsibility that will define your success.
It might sound like a big task, and it is, but the good news is a full-service rental property management company can take care of it for you.
PMI Warranted is your property manager of choice in Menifee. Led by a father-son combo with over 17 years of experience and managing over 3,500+ units, bank on us of proper property management enforcement services.
Get in touch with us today.
