A Landlord’s Guide To Managing Multi-Family Homes

Man at computer shutterstock_1888623727 Perhaps you are a new landlord or simply looking for tips on how to reduce your tenant turnover and be a better landlord. If so, this guide is going to help you both better manage your multi-family properties and please your tenants. 

Management of multi-family property can seem difficult because there are so many more people to please and the workload is greater. However, it can incur substantial rewards, as instead of managing multiple individual properties, you can focus on an extensive property with multiple tenants. Therefore, your focus remains on one property, so there is less running about in between. 

Multi-family property management can be very successful and simple if you know what you’re doing. This guide will explain to you and support you through the most important aspects of property management so that your tenants remain happy.

Form A Strong Relationship With Your Tenants

One of the best ways to ensure that your property is successful financially is through your tenants. A strong relationship with your tenants will increase their chances of staying on the property for longer as they will be happier with their living situation. 

The perk of this is that you will earn a greater return on your investment, providing you with the ability to update it as much as possible. Another benefit to a positive relationship with tenants is that awkward topics and problems are easier to manage. 

For example, the best way to collect rent is to come to an agreement that ensures you both benefit, such as using an online rent collection site. This will reduce the chance of late rent payments and ensure both you and the tenant understand the terms of the lease and what is expected by the other party. 

Keep On Top Of Maintenance 

Fixing a sink shutterstock_576697981 Maintenance is integral to keeping the property to a good standard. Research has shown that poor maintenance is one of the main reasons for leaving a tenancy. It can severely reduce the quality of your property and poor tenant retention can have huge repercussions on your return on investment.  

By responding promptly to any maintenance issues, you reduce this risk and keep your property to a high standard. If you cannot action a repair quickly, open communication with your tenant is vital. This ensures that they understand the situation and hold no blame against you. 

For some landlords, a repair management system is effective as it allows tenants to report any issues and track the process of the repair. Full-time maintenance staff would also simplify the process and speed up any repairs. By implementing an efficient and working system, you can streamline maintenance. This makes it easier for you to manage while keeping your tenants happy.

Stay Compliant With All Laws

Knowing and adhering to all rental building laws is essential to running a legitimate and long-standing multi-family property. This knowledge will help you create and run your business to code consistently, without worry. Failure to adhere to these rules risks an unpleasant legal battle with your tenants. 

The smartest way to ensure that you comply with all laws is to get advice from a legal expert in rental property management. They have extensive knowledge of all relevant regulations and could guide you to make the right decisions for your property. As well, they can help you limit your property liability and reduce your financial losses just in case. 

Add And Maintain Amenities

Many landlords are initially hesitant to include amenities in their multi-family property, but they can be incredibly beneficial to your property. You could add a pool, a common room, or perhaps even a park. 

At first, these additions may seem slightly costly, but they have the power to increase your property value substantially. An extra benefit is that these amenities could impress your tenants, encouraging them to extend their tenancy with you. Tenant retention is a great way to boost your profit from your property and reduce your workload as a landlord.

One thing to keep in mind is that you will have to maintain these amenities. Keeping them clean and up-to-date is essential if they are to benefit your multi-family property. No one would want to go into a dirty pool with missing tiles. Amenities are much like any other aspect of property maintenance; you need to take care of them if you are going to profit off of them.

Source: Multifamily Insiders

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