Tag: Managing Rental

Categories
Landlords

How Landlords Should Handle Emergency Repairs For Your Tenants

Woman’s eyes opened wide expressing shock while on a phone call
Photo by Yan Krukow on Pexels

You’re eating dinner with your family when your phone suddenly rings. Unfortunately, your tenant is calling to tell you of a serious problem—a burst pipe that has completely flooded the kitchen.

As emergency repairs go, landlords are required to immediately take action. Obviously, this is required for safety reasons and legal reasons. In this article, we’ll discuss how to approach emergency repairs so that you can use these in your landlord practices.

That way, you’ll be able to handle emergency repairs like a pro without ruining your weekend plans. Meet your obligations, keep your tenant happy, and protect your investment.

What is Considered a Landlord Emergency?

Before anything else, let’s review the landlord responsibilities in Michigan regarding emergency repairs: 

  • As the owner of the property, landlords are expected to immediately address any dangerous situation that can lead to occupant injury. 
  • Landlords usually do not have unpermitted access to the property during a tenant’s lease – except when a landlord can reasonably believe there’s an emergency issue. 
  • You’re obligated to take action within 24 hours of the tenant informing you of the emergency. Otherwise, tenants can withhold rent, repair & deduct, file a lawsuit, or report to a public official. 

Although the information stated above is from the state of Michigan, other states and cities will have similar rules and responsibilities. Now that we’ve brushed over the legal responsibilities, let’s proceed to what makes an “emergency repair.”

If left up to a tenant, anything that prohibits the tenant from living properly and comfortably on the property is an emergency. Legally, an emergency is anything that is likely to cause injury to a property occupant or visitor.

Here are a few examples:

  • A gas leak, as could cause an explosion or breathing problems, or poisoning.
  • Faulty or exposed wiring could electrocute someone or cause a fire that could result in occupant deaths.
  • A broken water supply line damages occupant possession and/or the property.
  • No heat during the winter months.

Non-emergency examples:

  • Sewer backup
  • No hot water
  • Minor water leaks
  • No electricity (unless it affects heat during winter)
  • List

The general rule to keep in mind is if it can wait until tomorrow, without the situation getting worse, then it is not an emergency. 

Best Practices as a Landlord for Emergency Repairs

Now that we’ve covered landlord obligations, let’s dive into some of the best practices in handling and preventing emergency repairs, especially during the holidays. No matter what the situation is, here are some tips you need to keep in mind:

  1. Always Be Prompt

The sooner you can fix a problem, the better. As much as possible, don’t let any repair needed last longer than 3 days. Be prompt when dealing with your tenants’ concerns, especially with emergencies. Being prompt will make your tenants happy and protect your property from serious damages.

  1. Keep Up Your Professionalism

Always be respectful and accommodating even during the holidays. Chances are your tenant also doesn’t want to deal with any problems during these times. Remember to always conduct yourself professionally.

  1. Determine if an Actual Emergency
  2. Before taking the next steps, you need to make sure it’s a real emergency. Tenants might not be aware that some issues fall on themselves to fix. For example, some issues like a clogged sink or a broken element on the stove aren’t emergencies that need to be addressed immediately. 

Set Expectations

Before anything, clarify what you are willing and not willing to do in the lease agreement. If your tenants know the extent of your abilities and obligations from the get-go, they won’t place any unreasonable expectations or call you up for repairs that they should handle themselves.

  1. Have a Prevention Plan

The best way to deal with an emergency repair is by avoiding it completely. So, before the holidays come around, do a maintenance check to make sure everything is in order. Identify and deal with any problems you spot during the inspection to protect your property while saving time and effort.

  1. Maintain Good Communication

Whether you can help or not, always keep an open line of communication with your tenants. Even if you can’t fix the problem right away (or the repair isn’t actually considered an emergency repair), picking up their calls and hearing their concerns shows your professionalism as a landlord, and encourages them to keep you updated with the conditions of your investment property.

  1. Have Contacts for Emergencies

For situations that qualify as an emergency, keep a list of contacts with a description of their services. As mentioned earlier in the article, emergency repairs are typically water-related concerns. 

With that being said, one of your emergency contacts should be a plumbing service with a description along the lines of “24/7 service including holidays.” However, if there aren’t any, resort to the next quickest option such as services that can be rendered on the next day.

Regardless if you can do anything or not, you still need to deal with your tenants and their concerns during the holidays. As long as you deal with your landlord’s responsibilities the best that you can, you can get the best possible outcome for emergency repair situations.

Be Prepared for Emergency Repairs

Emergency repairs can be a hassle, every day of the week. But by having good practices that help prepare you for such events, you’ll be well equipped to deal with them any time of the year. After all, you never know when a tenant will call for an emergency repair!

Got any more questions about emergency repairs? Let us know in the comments below!

Categories
Landlords

How to Calculate Rental Return: How Much are You Making from Your Rental Property?

How much can you actually expect to make from rental property investments?

This is a great question, and one without a straightforward answer. 

That’s because the amount of rental income you receive from a particular property depends on the financial viability of the deal, as well as how well you manage it. 

In this article, we’ll give you some tips for identifying profitable rental investments, and some rough rules-of-thumb for calculating the potential profitability of a rental property. If you want a better idea of how property management can impact these figures, check out this article. 

Financial Viability

Here are some formulas you can use to help you determine the financial viability of a real estate investment.

Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI is used to measure the performance of an investment by evaluating the expected return relative to a property’s cost.

Add up the cost of acquisition, closing fees, repair costs, and annual expenses. Then, divide your total annual income (from rent) by the sum of your expenses to arrive at your yearly projected ROI. There is no sweeping standard for a “good” ROI, but if we were to aim for a benchmark, you’d want to look for a yearly ROI that’s above 15%. 

Cash-on-Cash Return (CoC)

CoC calculates the yearly returns based on cash income and cash invested. In other words, it measures how much you’ve made on the property in relation to how much you’ve paid for the mortgage.

Get your annual pre-tax cash flow, divide that by the total cash you’ve invested, and you’ll get your CoC return. Expert investors advise aiming for a CoC return that yields around 8% to 12%.

Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)

Cap rate is the ratio of net income to the property’s acquisition price. There’s no “good” or “bad” cap rate, but it’s great for comparing your return across multiple properties. Here’s a quick guide on how to calculate it:

Get your net operating income (NOI) by taking your gross rental income and deducting every expense you have (excluding financing), like taxes, insurance, water, HOA fees, etc. 

Then, divide your NOI by the current market value, and you’ll get your cap rate. In riskier neighborhoods, 6% probably won’t be worthwhile. But in high-demand, high-quality neighborhoods, 6% could give you an amazing return.

The 1% Rule

Lastly, the 1% Rule is a quick calculation to determine if the monthly rent earned will generate positive cash flow for a property or not. The rule is that the amount grossed through monthly rent should be at least 1% of the final property purchase price (including the cost of any repairs). 

Calculating Profit

Now that you can identify money-making opportunities, the next step is to answer the following questions to calculate the profit you’ll get to keep.

How much rent will I realistically charge?

Start by surveying other rentals in the vicinity to get an estimated rental amount. You can ask a local realtor or property management company for an accurate number, or visit sites like Rentometer.com for a rough estimate.

If you end up with a range, stick to the lower number for a more conservative approach when assessing a deal and making your other calculations.

How do I know what the expenses will be?

When calculating your profit, you must add up all the expenses, including property tax, insurance, property management, and possible vacancies. Assume that these expenses will cost roughly 40% of your rental income. 

While it may sound like a lot, this figure is actually a conservative estimate and doesn’t cover any serious renovations or overhauls that a property might need.

What about the other 60%? 

If you took out a mortgage on the property, the mortgage payments will be covered by the other 60% of your rental income. This means you should only secure loans with monthly payments which total less than 60% of your estimated revenue from rent.

What happens to the remaining money?

Whatever is left over will be your profit. However, this is also what the government will charge taxes on. The taxes you pay on this income are not included in the property tax you pay annually. 

There are ways to lower your taxes as a real estate investor, but for this article, just remember to budget for paying both income and property taxes when calculating your potential profits.

Conclusion

How much can you earn from rental properties? How do you know if a rental investment is worth it? 

Just answer these two questions:

  • Is the investment you’re eyeing a profitable opportunity?
  • How much can you earn from renting out the property?

If the property passes all these common metrics with flying colors and earns you the rental income you’re looking for—you’ve just found a profitable rental property to invest in.

Image courtesy of David McBee

Categories
Shortterm Rentals

How to Attract Short-Term Rental Guests During COVID

If you want your rental portfolio to stay in business during the coronavirus pandemic, you need to align your offering with people’s priorities in the new normal. 

Safety and protection are of utmost importance right now, so what safety measures should you implement to assure your guests? 

Furthermore, why are they renting in the first place – are they going to have a staycation since traveling abroad isn’t a safe option anymore? What can you then provide to make your STR attractive, given the rapidly-changing consumer behaviors we’re now seeing?

Here are some ideas to help your short term rental business adapt to these new times:

  1. Contactless Check-In and Out

Plenty of us have experienced arriving in a new country and checking yourself in to the AirBnb rental you’ve reserved beforehand. You don’t even meet the owner, you just use the passcode they gave you to enter the cute little apartment unit. Days later, after you’ve eaten all the street food and bought all the souvenirs possible, you check yourself out simply by locking the door behind you, before heading to the airport. It’s easy, safe, and keeps human interactions to a bare minimum (owners or property managers only show up when something goes wrong with the unit!).

With all the tools and technologies available, you can implement contactless checking-in and out in your rentals too, and operate with increased health and safety protocols. Digitizing and revamping your check-in and out process will help to assure guests that you provide convenience plus safety. All you need is: 

  • Digital key or lockbox access
  • Welcome card with house directions & local info
  • List of contact numbers
  1. Refund Policy

COVID has cancelled a lot of plans – but not a lot of payments. One of the biggest head-scratchers during this pandemic is how most of us can’t cancel expensive flights, gym memberships, or reservations in resorts without a whopping, heartless cancellation fee. 

To assure renters that your refund policy considers the pandemic and related governmental restrictions, try including these two in your emergency policy (at least, for bookings made prior to March 2020):

  • Flexible credits – Offer the guest a full credit for the amount they’ve paid if they are beyond your cancellation window. You can allow them to use these credits to book your property again in the future (post-pandemic), so at least it’s just a “rescheduling” for both of you. 
  • Refunding – Offer the highest refund you can in your cancellation policy, while still protecting yourself. If the guests are unable to accept credits, and you can’t commit to a 100% refund, then at least give them back 50%. With the pandemic, uncertainty is our reality nowadays, so take this opportunity to show understanding to your travelers – it will result in higher chances of them returning post-COVID.

3. Sanitizing and Documentation

Take the extra mile to sanitize your STRs – not just clean them. What’s the difference? Cleaning is removing most germs, dirt, and dust using a soapy sponge or damp cloth. However, cleaning does not remove all the germs and bacteria that are hidden in the deeper layers. By using chemicals to deep-cleanse, sanitizing your rental will lower the risk of infection and further assure your guests of a COVID-free home. 

Document all the sanitizing measures you’ve done using the simple guideline below. Feel free to add more details as you go along. You can even post this as part of your listing to make any prospective guest feel at ease:

  • Wear protective gear or PPEs while you clean.
  • Ventilate the rooms before you clean (as recommended by the CDC).
  • Wash your hands properly and thoroughly before and after each cleaning. 
  • Clean first, then sanitize. Use detergent to remove dirt, dust, grease, and most germs. Afterwards, spray and wipe with disinfectants using clean cloths.
  • Use disinfectants that are registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (or has 70% alcohol) as these are believed to be effective against the virus. 
  • Pay attention to all surfaces–especially those that are frequently touched. For rugs, sofas, drapes, or anything else that’s similar, machine-wash if possible.
  • Avoid touching your face while cleaning to prevent the spread of germs.
  • Wash all linens at the highest heat setting recommended by the manufacturer.
  • Empty all appliances and disinfect their surfaces.
  • Dispose of your cleaning supplies properly. 
  • Safely remove your cleaning gear after you’re done. 
  • Include a card in the property, informing newly-arrived guests that the property has been disinfected (listing all these steps, if desired!), and publish this
  • information online – it will help set your property apart when people are searching for a place to stay.

4. Comfort Features

Lastly, figure out why they are renting your property during COVID. If they’re planning a staycation, then it’s best to fit your property with entertainment and other comforts. This could mean additional towels, a coffee maker, board games, or free Netflix. (It will also differ, depending on where your STR is situated and what kind of guests you attract. Features that rowdy 20-year-olds will appreciate are quite far from those that 80-year-old elderlies will kiss your cheek for!)

Here are some features to consider:

  • Provide quality basics – Strong water pressure, fast and reliable WiFi, AC units and heaters that work without fail are all examples of levelled-up basics. Having these basics at good quality gives the guests everything they need for living, working, and relaxing in the easiest way possible.
  • Offer ample amenities – Stock your bathrooms chock-full of toiletries any of your guests can appreciate (especially when one of them forgets their toothbrush or shaving cream). Prepare your kitchen to handle an entire family cooking together with all the pots, plates, wine opener, and sponges. People are cooking in more now than ever before, so having things like spices and oil might be a nice additional touch, too. 
  • Have unexpected features – If Netflix is now an expected offer, then try installing a Nintendo Switch for your guests to enjoy. Throw in a foot massager in the living room too, for mom to get pampered while the kids play Mario Kart on the big screen. Perhaps you can put a couple of cold ones in the fridge for dad to kick back and relax as well. These are all small items that you can offer specially for COVID-escaping staycationers that will stay in the rental for days at a time, and these small touches go a long way towards garnering awesome reviews.

COVID may have hindered a lot of businesses from operating, but that doesn’t mean yours should stop too. There are ways to keep your short-term rentals attractive even in the midst of this pandemic. Try out these tips and comment below on how they worked for you!

Image Courtesy of Evgenia Basyrova

Categories
DIY

Keeping It Legal for DIY Landlords

A legal hammer.

ALWAYS have everything in writing. Specific terms should spell out exactly what is expected and legal from all parties involved

Working through the web of renting your properties can be mind boggling when you realize the details involved with signing a tenant. Knowing federal laws and local regulations will help keep you in business and profitable. Working from a template and a detailed checklist is a good way to keep everything legal from Day 1. If properly thought out, it can save you from the high cost of defending yourself in court.

Proper Documentation

ALWAYS have everything in writing. Specific terms should spell out exactly what is expected from all parties involved. Have a lawyer draft your lease agreement to help avoid the pitfalls of cookie cutter online forms. Rental agreements are legally binding contracts, know the rights tenants have and familiarize yourself with the Federal Fair Housing Act.

Advertising, Showings & Applicant Screening

You must study, and pretty much memorize, the Fair Housing Act to avoid discrimination violations. Your advertising, how you handle inquiries, showings and applicant screenings must all conform. Make one mistake and you could wind up in court.

Don’t forget about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and what your required to do if you deny an application or an applicant disappears.

Once you figure out how to legally operate — be consistent! Avoid potential discrimination lawsuits by treating everyone the same and avoid shortcuts — even when you know what the outcome will be.

Deposits and Fees

Check your state and local requirements regarding application fees, pet fees, security deposits, etc. Decide what you’ll charge and again, be consistent to avoid discrimination claims.

Keep In mind a security deposit is just that, a deposit, so it technically still belongs to the tenant, you are just holding it. Don’t go out and spend it. You may want to keep it in a separate account to make it easier to keep track of and explain when needed. Remember, the security deposit is used as a guarantee against possible damages or unpaid bills, but even during an eviction proceeding, it still legally belongs to the tenant.

Required Disclosures

Federal law requires disclosure to a tenant about potential lead-based paint issues. Make sure this disclosure is included in your lease and that you also have the government required lead-based paint pamphlet to hand out.

Your tenants may also have the right to disclosures regarding building ownership, landlord, or management company that acts on behalf of the landlord. Provide them with proper contact information for rent collection, complaints, maintenance issues, etc.

There’s also required disclosures like the Move-In Checklist, specific tenant notifications required in a lease like; Truth-In-Renting Act, Security Deposit Rights, Domestic Violence and Senior Living clauses. All are another reason to engage an attorney to at least review your lease annually.

Property Maintenance

Check your local ordinances for landlord obligations regarding property maintenance. Many cities consider it illegal to collect rent if a property hasn’t passed a city inspection. In addition to issuing tickets, they may also arrest an owner who fails to comply.

Know Your Landlord Rights

When dealing with landlord-tenant issues, there is usually more focus on protecting the tenant. As we all know, there are two sides to every problem, and as a landlord, you have rights, as well. Though not a complete list, here a few biggies:

  • Eviction – Depending on your lease agreement and state & local laws, you have any number of valid reasons for choosing to evict a tenant.  Keep it legal here, abide by all local laws and ordinances to prevent making the situation any worse.
  • Home Entry – You certainly don’t have unlimited access to a tenant’s home, but with proper notification to complete repairs or an emergency the law allows entry as needed.
  • Rent Increases – Many states and cities are passing laws limiting rent increases. Be sure to check and conform as needed. If there are no laws, you can legally raise the rent as much as you want, as often as your lease allows.

Housing is a highly regulated industry and need to be clear on fair housing laws and other local ordinances that affect your business. Pleading ignorance will not keep you out of trouble. Of course, you want your real estate investments to be profitable, but ignoring the laws set in place to protect the landlord-tenant relationship, will only do more harm than good in the end.  Before making any legal missteps, consult your attorney for clarification for any landlord-tenant issue.

Categories
DIY

Tips for Novice Landlords

People dream of becoming landlords, how hard can it be to walk to the mailbox every month, and cash rent checks?

Tips for Novice Landlords.

Let’s get it out of the way early — making money as a DIY landlord is NOT going to be as passive you envisioned. Expect to spend many of your evenings and weekends dealing with property and tenants issues.

The whole point of investing in rental housing is to collect monthly rent payments, yet this can be one of the most challenging aspects for a newbie landlord. There will be times when you have to hound tenants for the rent. Be firm about rent payments, you rely on them for running your business. Being lenient with your tenants will open the door to a slew of problems. If they don’t pay, follow your state’s laws, and if needed, start the eviction process.

So you’ve got your first rental ready to go. You’re eager to start renting and making some money. Resist the urge to rent to just anyone because you’re concerned with vacancy. Make sure to stick your plan — be vigilant about screening new tenants. Leasing to a tenant that doesn’t meet your standards will only bring more problems than it’s worth, it’s better to be patient and wait for the right candidate.

Fair housing laws are in place to protect the tenant — they are a big deal. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’ll have to defend yourself in court. If you’re not sure about something, consult an attorney, or better yet, read up and educate yourself, it’s bound to come up again.

You want your rentals to be the best they can be to attract prospective tenants, but remodeling to your (expensive) tastes is not a good business decision. It’s fine to remodel but resist the urge to go overboard. Unless your property is in an area where you can charge appropriate rental rates, it will be difficult to recoup your investment.

The right marketing strategy will make a world of difference. Make sure to use the right avenues to market your vacancies. Newspaper ads are on life support. You need to place your ads where the right clientele will see it.

Place online ads and use dedicated web sites to find great renters. To entice prospective tenants, pay a professional to take brilliant photos and create a virtual tour. This will save you tons of time by not showing your property to people who aren’t that interested or can’t afford it.

First impressions matter, don’t underestimate curb appeal. Always keep your property looking good — inside and out. Prospective tenants will never get to see how beautiful the new kitchens and bathrooms are if they pass on your property because it looks dingy from the outside. 

BONUS: Stay Organized

You may be surprised how much work is involved with your rental property business. The mountain of paperwork alone can be daunting if you’re not prepared. Paying attention to details and staying organized will help you to stay focused and promote success.

Just because you’re starting a “side business” to produce a passive stream doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy —  this is not a hobby. There is a learning curve to honing the skills needed to run your rental property, but things get easier to manage with every new tenant and each additional property.

You will face challenges, you need to treat your new venture as a “normal” business. Plan on making mistakes when you’re starting out, but expect those growing pains to wane as you acquire experience and grow. Stay positive and focus on your goals. 

Categories
DIY

And You Thought Being a Landlord Would Be Fun and Easy

That dream of living off “passive” income, however, takes a lot more work than you think.

Can landlords be available 24/7?

You’re tired of your 9 to 5 grind and figure buying real estate and renting it out will be a low-stress way of making a living, so you can eventually quit your day job. Rest assured, there’s more to that story. Yes, real estate can indeed be very lucrative — the world’s supply is limited, after all.

Rent Collection

Monthly rent checks are probably one reason you decided to get into the rental business. Collecting the rent is not as easy as walking to your mailbox on the first of the month. Though most renters are good at paying on time, it’s the inconsistent tenants that will cause you to gray prematurely. When the time comes, be ready to change your hat from the nice welcoming landlord to the merciless rent police. If you stay in business long enough, you’ll hear enough creative excuses to write a book.

How Hard Could It Be?

Any job is easy and enjoyable when things are running smoothly. But when the A/C goes out in August, a pipe burst in January or a tenant trashed the place before moving out, that’s when you will find out if you truly love your new job. All these things, and much more, will eventually happen. You need to be mentally and financially prepared to deal with them. 

For example, replacing the section of a frozen pipe is no big deal and relatively inexpensive, any plumber can do that. With the service call, drive time, and the hourly rate, you should be able to get it for around $250. Remember though, a frozen pipe doesn’t leak. What if it thaws at noon when the tenant is at work? They come home to water spraying out from under the sink or in the basement laundry area.

The area is flooded, the carpeting is soaked, and it’s Friday evening. Now you’ve got a mess, water damage, you may have to replace the carpeting, or least hire a professional cleaner. Wait, there’s more. The plumber is charging double or triple time because it’s after hours and a weekend. Don’t be surprised if you’re flirting with $1500 when all is said and done.

Managing Problem Tenants

No matter how vigilant you are with tenant screening, sooner or later, someone will sneak through that can summon your Satan. You may have heard all the horror stories, but you say to yourself, “I wouldn’t let that happen to me.” Oh, don’t worry, it will.

It’s Time For You To Go!

Evictions get ugly, are time-consuming, and the bills add up quickly. First, you’re not collecting current rent due. Then there are court filing and attorney fees. Chances are the property is going to be a mess or worse yet, damaged. If the tenant left a bunch of stuff behind, you may have to pay to store it. Then, of course, you’re not able to rent to other tenants until you bring it up to standards. And finally, you have to find a new tenant. If you’re lucky, you’ll only lose two or three months’ rent. Including court costs, your final bill could easily hit $4000 to $6000.

What’s A Balance Sheet?

If you’re the kind of DIYer that doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty but hates numbers, sorry but you’re going to have to learn. Oh sure, you can “just pay someone else to do it,” but an accountant or CPA doesn’t come cheap. Even if you can afford to hire it out, you should at least become familiar with bookkeeping and the finances of your new venture. You expect complications with your tenants, you don’t want to get ripped off by some bookkeeper.

You Need To Be A Good Banker

Hopefully, your properties are fully occupied, and you’ve got plenty of cash flow to meet expenses, and you’re stashing some away. For most landlords, the reality isn’t so dreamy. That’s why you need to stay on top of finances and bank some cash. 

Tenants come and go, but your fixed costs don’t go with them. You’ll have times when money is rolling in, and then you’ll face spurts of vacancy. It’s vital to put some money aside to keep as a reserve to get you through the dry times.

Property rentals can be very profitable, but as with any business, it’s not all peaches-n-cream. Real estate is not for everyone. There will times when you’re ready to sell the farm, followed by times that make your investment and hard work all worth it.  

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