Key Takeaways
- Compliance with federal, state, and local habitability laws is essential to ensure rental properties are structurally sound and equipped with functioning safety systems like smoke detectors and secure entryways.
- Regular inspections and preventive maintenance are essential for meeting safety standards, reducing liability, and keeping tenants satisfied long-term.
- Fire safety and health hazards—such as mold, pests, and lead-based paint—must be proactively addressed to protect tenants and maintain legal compliance.
As a landlord, you are responsible for your tenants’ safety. As part of the habitability requirements, you must meet certain safety codes for your rental property to be considered livable.
Ensuring your rental property meets the required safety standards can also help you optimize your ROI. How? A tenant who feels safe and comfortable is more likely to renew their lease multiple times, minimizing your property’s vacancy rates.
And the lower the vacancies you have, the more profit you’ll be able to keep in your pocket every month.
With that in mind, how will you know your rental property meets safety standards? The following blog by Real PM Prestige includes some advice to keep in mind in this regard.
Familiarize Yourself With the Law
As a landlord, you have a smorgasbord of federal, state, and local laws that you must abide by after establishing a lease with a tenant. Among these are the habitability laws that specify the minimum health and safety standards for rental properties.
Generally speaking, though, rental properties must meet the following safety standards.
- Be structurally sound, with secure floors, walls, roofing, and staircases.
- Properly functioning entryways and exits that are free from any obstruction.
- Working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Working electrical systems.
- Working HVAC systems if provided.
- A functional plumbing system, including a reasonable supply of hot and cold water.
Also, make sure to check in with your local municipality for specific local building codes that apply in your area.
Regularly Inspect the Property
The first property inspection should take place before the tenant even moves in. This should help ascertain that the property is in livable condition. Always work with licensed professionals with years of experience in the field.
The inspections should cover a broad range of areas including electrical systems, plumbing systems, the unit’s structural integrity, as well as the functioning of the HVAC systems.
Aside from conducting a move-in inspection, also make sure to conduct inspections when seasons change and when the tenant moves out.
Regularly Maintain the Property
Maintaining your property is essential for ensuring you not only meet the legal habitability requirements for safety, but also ensure the tenant is comfortable.
Ideally, have a preventative maintenance plan to ensure your property is always in top-notch condition. The goal with these maintenance plans should be to ensure:
- The property is structurally sound.
- Staircases are sturdy, railings are secure, and walkways are free from trip hazards.
- Electrical systems are functioning as they should.
- The fire safety standards are met.
- All exterior doors are secure, and locks are working.
- Exterior lighting is adequate at all entryways and around the property.
- The HVAC system is functioning safely and efficiently if you have provided it.
And before accessing the property, make sure to notify the tenant first. A 24-hour advance notice should suffice.
Check the Fire Safety Standards
Home fires cause billions in damage each year. According to Bankrate.com, in 2022, home fires across the U.S. resulted in an estimated $11 billion in direct property damage.
That said, there are some home fire prevention precautions you can take to protect your rental property from becoming yet another statistic of fire damage.
Ensure that every bedroom has a smoke detector, and on every floor if renting out an apartment. Make sure you regularly inspect them to ensure optimum functionality. You’ll also want to install fire extinguishers in easily accessible locations.
The property should have unobstructed fire escape exits in bedrooms as well.
Check the Health & Environmental Standards
Aside from meeting the required safety standards, you’ll also want to ensure that your property meets the minimum health codes as well.
Some of the issues you may want to address for your property to be compliant in this regard include signs of mold, signs of pest infestations in the unit, and use of lead-based paint and asbestos.
These can pose significant health risks to your tenants. Lead-based paint, for instance, can impair someone’s intellectual development and damage the brain if the levels are high enough.
For this reason, landlords, especially those renting out units built before 1978, are required by federal law to disclose their use to tenants.
Conclusion
There you have it. Now you know what it takes to keep your rental property compliant with safety standards. You’ll also want to check for any additional home safety requirements in your local area as well.
If you have further questions or need expert help in managing your rental property, look no further than Real PM Prestige.
We are one of the most sought-after property management companies in Houston. With over 30 years of proven industry experience, you can trust us to help you manage your property professionally and efficiently. We are committed to helping you succeed.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
