The population of Texas has grown by roughly 1,200 people per day in recent years. With this large of an influx, your residential properties are prime for renting. But you shouldn’t just throw your home on the rental market and see what happens.
Instead, you need to approach your rental home as a business. This means having a renting checklist to help you prepare the home and yourself for a new tenant. We’ve created the ultimate renting checklist to help you and your property be renter ready.
Evaluate the Home’s Habitability
As the landlord, you’re legally responsible for making sure the home is safe for someone to live in. Your renting checklist needs to include a utilities check. Then check the major appliances and confirm they’re working. Test the smoke detectors. Make any required home repairs and perform routine maintenance.
Habitability Renting Checklist:
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Utilities
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Major appliances
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Smoke detectors
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Repair and routine maintenance
Clean Everything
Now that you know everything is safe and working, it’s time to get the home renter ready. This means cleaning everything. Change the filter in the HVAC system, clean the carpet, spray for pests, and paint.
It can be smart to hire professionals to take care of some of these tasks. Their cleaning materials and equipment are stronger and more effective than most consumer tools available. Painting is a simple and affordable way to freshen up the home and remove traces of previous tenants.
Cleaning Renting Checklist:
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Change the filters
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Exterminate
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Carpet cleaning
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Whole-home cleaning
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Paint
Gather Your Documents
Now is the time to plan ahead and create a rental application and lease agreement. This way, you can put your home on the market as soon as it’s ready. It also prevents you from scrambling later on when you have an interested applicant.
You need to have a thorough and legal rental application. It’s best to check with a lawyer to confirm you don’t include any illegal inquiries. You also need release forms so that you can perform a thorough background and credit check.
The lawyer you hire should also assist you in creating a lease agreement. This will ensure it has all of the relevant terms and nothing that will render your agreement void. Do not try to download a generic online rental agreement. These are not tailored to your state laws or property.
Legal Renting Checklist:
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Tenant application
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Background release form
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Rental agreement
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Move-in/move-out checklist
Skip the Renting Checklist and Hire the Pros
If all of this sounds like you’ll have a lengthy renting checklist, you’re right. Being a high-quality landlord takes time and effort. But there’s another option. You can work with a local property manager and let them handle all of these tasks.
A quality property manager will have an extensive renting checklist in place. They’ll also have all of the necessary legal documents prepared and ready with the ability to customize them for your property’s needs.
You can relax knowing that you have someone on your team whose experienced. Their extensive network of industry contractors will make completing the tasks on your checklist a breeze.
Property Manager Renting Checklist:
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Experience
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Knowledge
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Communication
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Trust
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Document resources
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Extensive contractor network
Create your Renting Checklist Today
There’s no better time than now to create your renting checklist and start getting your property ready. If you aren’t ready or interested in working through the checklist on your own, then consider hiring a property manager.
The team of property managers at PMI North Texas have extensive experience in managing rental properties and know what it takes to successfully rent your home.
Contact our knowledgeable team of property managers today, and let us help you get your home rental ready.
