You’re moving out of your home, and a new tenant is moving in. There’s nothing much for you to do, right? Wrong! What many people don’t realise, is that the first 24 hours of a new tenancy is crucial!
Why? Because what you do during this period will set the tone for the relationship between yourselves and the new tenants. And once a tone has been set, it can be very hard to change it.
Whether you have a Property Manager or not, the tone of your owner/tenant relationship is still an important one.
This is where perception will dominate the truth. So, as a property owner, how can you ensure the right tone is set between you and your new tenants within the first 24 hours?
In this blog, we share a few simple rules to follow when preparing your property for new tenants.
Follow compliance obligations
First and foremost, it’s extremely important to diligently follow compliance obligations. Ask your Property Manager for assistance, to help you ensure that you tick all the boxes before the new family move in. And read our article on compliance obligations for rental properties, so that you are in the know.
Engage a handyman
Most of us have a list of outstanding maintenance requirements, niggles and nuances in our homes that are so familiar to us, that we’ve almost forgotten they exist! However, these nuances won’t be familiar to your new tenants, which is why now is the perfect time to engage a recommended handyman to fix every item on the list.
Commercially clean
As much as some of us would prefer to clean our home ourselves and may view hiring a commercial cleaner as an unnecessary expense, doing so will make a world of difference. Cleaning your property in preparation for the rental market takes time, combined with the right products, experience and equipment. Engaging a professional cleaner to give the home sparkle, will create the desired outcome for a successful beginning and tone for the new tenancy relationship.
Be prepared to do the work
Still prefer to clean your own property? Then be prepared to work with your Property Manager when he or she identifies the extra cleaning list after inspecting your cleaned property. Although stressful, this is crucial to ensure a positive tone is set for the new owner/tenant relationship. To avoid this, discuss the cleaning requirements with your Property Manager prior to starting your clean.
A home you would want to live in
Whether it is you or a tenant who is moving out, it’s important that the property is still a home you would want to live in. Ensure this is the case by thinking about the little things. Is it homely? Is it welcoming? Does the presentation need a face-lift? Is anything still in need of repair? For a furnished property, is the furniture clean and comfortable? Are there any little touches you can add to the furnishings to make it an even nicer space?
Have you looked after the outside?
It’s not all about the inside of the property you know. What about the outside? Is the letterbox in need of repair? Are the gutters clean? Is the fence in good condition? Are there any pests or insects you need to deal with? And make sure you mow, sweep, rake, prune and have the garden looking the best it can be.
As you can see, the transition period between you moving out, and your tenant moving in is crucial, if you want to ensure the tone of your tenant/owner relationship starts out as a positive one.
Need help setting the right tone for your new tenant?
Contact our friendly team at Joyce Property Investments today.