What is “Rent Ready”?
Ensuring that your League City rental property is ‘Rent Ready’ means that interior carpets have been cleaned or replaced as necessary, freshly painted interior walls, working kitchen appliances (and water heaters and HVAC to the extent such items serve only the individual vacant unit(s), and no material damage to the doors, walls, ceilings, floors, or windows inside such vacant units.
Why should your rental property be Rent Ready?
The simple answer is:
- A tenant will be more likely to rent from you.
- You may secure a higher rental amount than you would if you didn’t make the property rent ready.
- You can sell it for a higher amount if you decide to sell later.
Whether you took the leap to try your hand at a League City rental property business, or you’re moving and planning to rent your home, there is a lot to consider. Real Property Management Prestige has you covered with some of the biggest tasks to check off your to-do list, so you can rake in the cash and not be surprised with trouble down the road.
Inspect your Home & Ensure you have attained the proper Licenses.
Houston TX has strict requirements in place for rental units. It’s imperative you ensure that the home you are renting is suitable for future tenants. Almost all states require a landlord to provide a safe and livable home. Some of the basic include:
- A structurally sound home, with floors, stairs, walls, and roof properly secured and intact.
- Safe operation of electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system.
- Properly working water heater and heating system.
- A home void of environmental toxins including lead paint, dust, asbestos, and mold.
- Attention to and reduction of the threat of foreseeable criminal intrusions.
- Extermination of infestations of rodents and other vermin.
This begins with a professional home inspection. Real Property Management Prestige has partnered with a reputable home inspection company to ensure that the above requirements are met, for all of our rental properties.
This is important as few of us have specific knowledge of home construction materials, methods, and building codes, not to mention the experience to spot trouble from the smallest of indicators.
Make sure your rental property is up-to-code regarding violations in the district or with your rental license. At the minimum, you need a Residential Housing License, a Basic Business License, and you must have the property registered as either exempt or non-exempt from rent control.
The Rental Property must be Professionally Cleaned, Painted and Landscaped.
It should go without saying that deep cleaning is an essential step before renting your property. Pay special attention to bathrooms and the kitchen, removing hard water stains, rust, wiping down cabinets and ensuring appliances are clean inside and out.
All appliances should be checked to be sure they’re working as expected. Faulty appliances can not only cost you money in repairs and even energy bills but could present potential safety hazards and liabilities.
Carpets should be deep cleaned, ceiling fans and baseboards wiped down, any holes in the walls fixed. A fresh coat of paint to the interior is essential as well.
If your rental property has landscaping needs, be sure they’re taken care of before putting your property on the market. You can’t consider your property to be rent ready if the grass isn’t cut or you haven’t mulched for the past two years.
Change Your Insurance.
Prior to signing a lease agreement, it is important to work with an insurance agent to obtain a landlord’s policy, which is called a Dwelling Policy.
Once the above details are taken care of, the property is ready to be placed on the market. At Real Property Management Prestige, our approach is simple. We have experience assisting property owners with different types of rental properties get their units ready for rent. We’ve got you covered! We provide professional, trustworthy property management services in the Houston area, from tenant screening to leasing to maintenance to evictions. Contact us today at 281-984-7463.