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5 Landlord Responsibilities Every Landlord Should Know – Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale

Keyrenter Property Management Blog Fort Lauderdale Landlord Responsibilities

Did you know that there are over 48.5 million rental units in the US? While there aren’t many accurate statistics on how many landlords there are, suffice it to say that that million rental units means that there are quite a few landlords across the US. 

If you are a new landlord or are considering purchasing a rental property, there are certain requirements that, by law, you must follow. Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale outlines some of the most important responsibilities you should have as a landlord below.

1. “Warranty of Habitability”

In simple terms, this means that the landlord must provide a safe and habitable space for the tenant. Habitable means that the rental unit must be secure and free of hazards.

The necessary utilities must be provided, including water, appropriate heating systems, and electricity. The unit must be pest free and any damages to windows or doors that would render the unit unsafe must be repaired. 

If there are local requirements pertaining to safety, those must be followed as well, such as lead paint disclosures, providing safety measures such as handrails and appropriate outdoor lighting, and removal of snow, ice, or other hazards (unless it is specified otherwise in the lease).

2. Making Repairs Promptly

Landlords may not be obligated to repair certain things immediately, such as ripped carpet or something that doesn’t impact the habitability of the rental unit, but other repairs must be made promptly. Broken HVAC systems, sewage backups, water damage, malfunctioning sinks or toilets, and shorted wires or electrical problems must be addressed. 

Your state or local area may have requirements as to how quickly repairs must be made, so be sure you are adhering to these laws. 

3. Maintaining Insurance 

Landlords do not have to insure the personal belongings of tenants, but they are responsible for insurance policies covering the structure. Tenants need a renters’ insurance policy to cover any of their personal effects inside the unit, but the landlord will hold the insurance to cover things like the roof, walls, and outdoor spaces. 

Any damage to the structure is the responsibility of the landlord and their insurance company, not the tenants.  

4. Provide Contact Information for Emergencies

Whether you provide your tenants with your contact information or that of a property management firm who handles emergencies and maintenance requests is up to you, but you must provide some way for tenants to report any emergencies or make maintenance requests.

If you are an absentee landlord who does not maintain the property, you face the risk of legal repercussions from code enforcement or other agencies. 

5. Return Security Deposits in a Timely Manner

The lease should specify when the security deposit will be returned. This is typically dictated by state law and is often between 30 and 60 days. When the tenant moves out, landlords must do a walk through and note any damage that is present.

If you are going to withhold any part of the security deposit, you must document the damage and the deduction. Most states will not allow you to withhold part of the security deposit for normal wear and tear, so be sure to clarify what you can charge your tenant for upon their departure. 

Landlord 101: What You Should Know Before Becoming a Landlord

These are just a few of the important things you should know before becoming a landlord. It is a big responsibility and can take a considerable amount of time, especially if you want to do it right. One of the most crucial tips is to make sure you are knowledgeable about landlord-tenant law in your state. 

If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, considering hiring a property management company to handle the landlord duties for you. They can handle all aspects of renting, from advertising your property, screening tenants, preparing leases, handling repairs and maintenance, and facilitating move out.

Contact us at Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale today to learn about how we can help you be a successful landlord.

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Filed Under: Landlord Responsibilities, Property Management, Rental Property Owners Tagged With: Landlord Help, Landlord Mistakes, Property Management

The Essential Guide to Preparing for Hurricanes – Keryenter Fort Lauderdale

Hurricanes tear into Florida every year bringing a lot of trouble for your rental properties. But if you prepare for the hurricane ahead of time, you will be back to business afterward without so much problem. What can you do prepare your properties for a hurricane? There is a lot you can do to prevent property damage and help keep your tenants safe. Here the essential guide to preparing for hurricanes to help you maneuver through all of the most important hurricane preparation steps.

Keyrenter Property Management Blog Fort Lauderdale Hurricane Preperation

Make Sure You Talk to Your Tenants

Make sure that you have the emergency contact information from your tenants and that your tenants have your emergency contact information as well. This is a good way to ease into what will likely be a very long conversation. You will need to ask your tenants to provide a series of tasks in order to keep them safe during the hurricane and to protect yourself from liability in case their property is damaged. You’ll ask them to:

  • Park their gassed-up vehicles against the garage to prevent damage to the garage door as well as their vehicle.
  • Move their furniture away from the doors and windows and cover it with plastic in the event that the storm breaks the windows leading to the ruin of their furniture.
  • Take their pets inside the house, so they are safe from the storm.
  • Fill the bathtubs and sinks with water in case the water is shut off or contaminated because of the hurricane.
  • Set the refrigerator to maximum cold so that perishable food items will last longer if power is lost.
  • Stock up on canned food and non-perishable food
  • Stay in the central room of the property or on the downwind side of the house. Tell them to move to another room if the wind direction changes.
  • Close the windows and storm shutters.
  • Turn off the water and the propane.
  • Collect any personal belongings from outside and bring them into the house or store them.

Make Every Effort Protect Your Property

You should also make every effort to protect your rental property. This does not just include the house itself; it also includes all of the files that document its rental history, insurance, and so on. Make sure that you have all of these files backed up on an external hard drive that’s tucked into a water and fireproof safe, upload them to the cloud, or take some other measure to protect your documents. Those documents should include an updated emergency contact list that you should have on hand during the storm. Consider printing it and laminating it before the hurricane hits. After that, you should:

  • Turn off the rental property’s main gas valve.
  • Install some form of covering over the doors, windows, skylights, and vents using plywood, shutters, or panels. Use duct tape to cover whatever glass is still exposed.
  • Trees should be pruned (and dead limbs should be removed and cleared away,) so wind-blown tree limbs don’t come free from the trees and crash into the rental property, causing damage.
  • Insert wedges into sliding doors so that high winds can’t blow them out of their frames.
  • Make sure that all of the appliances are up off of the ground and covered in plastic.
  • If your rental property has a pool, lower the water to a foot below the edge of the pool, cover the filter pump, turn off the electricity that runs to the pump, and add chlorine to the pool to combat the storm contamination.
  • Take radio and television antennas off of the roof and protect satellite dishes.
  • Close and duct tape outdoor electrical outlets.

After that, weather out the storm as best you can, and deal with whatever damage comes after.

What If You Have a Property Management Company?

If you have hired a property management company to take care of your rental property, your responsibilities for hurricane preparation are altered drastically. Instead of you going through every part of your property and ensuring that it is protected, your property management team will handle it. All you have to do is sit out the storm and wait for your property manager to check in. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? If you do not want the responsibility associated with hurricane preparation for your rental property, hire a property manager. Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale handles many of the daily tasks associated with property management, and we can help you make sure that your rental property is protected.

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Filed Under: Property Management, Rental Property Owners Tagged With: Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Safety, Safety

Gardening at Rental Properties: Your Ultimate Guide – Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale

Keyrenter Property Management Blog Fort Lauderdale Gardening

Even though it was once a hobby only associated with old women, gardening is seeing a massive spike in popularity right now. What may surprise you is that the largest increase in gardening is happening among young people, primarily millennials.

The issue is that while gardening is at an all-time high among this age group, homeownership is still lagging behind. This means that many of these up-and-coming green thumbs are growing their plants on rental properties.

If you’re hoping to join their ranks, don’t reach for the shovel and tiller just yet. Most landlords don’t consider tearing up the lawn to plant a garden part of normal wear and tear, meaning you aren’t likely to get your security deposit back if you do so.

But hope isn’t lost—not being able to plant a traditional garden doesn’t mean you can’t plant one at all. There are countless ways to design a rental-friendly garden if you’re willing to get a bit creative. Keyrenter Fort Lauderdale explores various ways that can help you get started on your very own container garden.

Building an Outdoor Garden

The best way to build a garden outside at your property in Fort Lauderdale is to use containers. Container gardening is easy to move around from place to place and doesn’t mess with the existing landscaping.

Many people like to build custom terraced container gardens out of wood and line them with landscaping fabric. Some prefer to stick with premade pots, tubs, and window boxes. Others still get creative by turning canoes, old tires, wheelbarrows, and ladders into blossoming floral landscapes.

Whatever container you use, make sure it’s deep enough for the plants to root and allows water to drain out easily. This keeps your plants from getting accidentally overwatered after a rainstorm.

The Best Plants for Container Gardening

Most flowers aren’t picky about whether they live in a container or in the ground. The most important things to consider when growing a floral container garden are the size of the container, whether the plant climbs or trails, and how much sunlight the container will get every day.

Fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are a bit pickier about where they grow and tend to need more space to flourish. Many of them will also need a support structure like a tomato cage to climb up or lean against as they get taller.

The best fruits and veggies for a container garden include:

  • Green onions
  • Strawberries
  • Tomatoes
  • Zucchini and other small squash varieties
  • Pineapples (these plants take a few years to produce fruit)
  • Peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Leafy greens like lettuce and kale
  • Radishes
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Herbs

Keep in mind that you can’t expect a huge harvest to come from a few small vegetable pots, but you’ll still have enough to enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor. You may even be able to grow your vegetables from the seeds or sprouts of ones you buy from the grocery store.

Indoor Gardens for Rental Units

Do you live in an upper-level or city apartment without any access to a yard? Has your landlord asked that you refrain from container gardening to make it easier to mow? Don’t fret, you can still be a gardener even when you’re stuck indoors.

Kitchen Herb Garden

Cooking at home, gardening, and living on a budget all go hand in hand. For many people, the desire to have a garden is about having access to fresh herbs and produce that they wouldn’t otherwise splurge on at the grocery store.

The great news is that most herbs are hardy enough to grow inside your kitchen without much effort. Set up a row of mason jars, tin cans, or small terracotta pots on your counter or windowsill—wherever they get the most light.

Whatever type of containers you use, make sure they have enough drainage. You can accomplish this by filling the bottoms of the containers with pea gravel before adding soil. Then, plant the herbs and snip off however much you need for a recipe.

If you find yourself buying more and more plants because you use up the herbs too quickly, here’s a tip: you can grow an entire new plant from cutting off another one. Called propagation, this technique gives you infinite plants for the price of one.

All you have to do is make a diagonal snip through the stem right below a leaf node. Then, strip off the leaves near the base of the cutting and place it in a vase of water. Once new roots sprout, you can plant the cutting in soil and watch it grow.

Grow Shelf or Tent

If you’re lacking in open windowsills and natural light, growing a kitchen herb garden might not be possible. The good news is that even people living in basement apartment units can be gardeners.

All you need is a grow light, a fluorescent or LED light that puts out the wavelengths plants need for photosynthesis. You can set this type of light up above a container garden on a shelf to grow herbs or microgreens. If you want to have a full-sized kitchen or flower garden, you might want to invest in a small grow tent to better control light, temperature, and humidity.

You can often pick up a grow light or grow tent kit from your local gardener’s supply store, but if not, they’re easy to order online. The best part is that these gardens don’t require any sophisticated construction or setup. You merely have to pop open the tent, hang the light, and plug it in—then you’re good to grow!

Get Creative With Your Apartment Gardening

You can still grow a flourishing garden even if your landlord isn’t thrilled about you tilling up the lawn. It takes some creativity and hard work, but gardening in containers or a grow tent can help you grow the flowers, fruits, and vegetables you long for.

Looking for a new apartment, condo, or rental house to call home? Search our current list of available Keyrenter properties for all the best rentals in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area.

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Filed Under: Multi Family Apartments, Property Management, Rental Property Owners Tagged With: Gardening, Gardening at Rental Properties, rental property

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