Is Your Baltimore City Property Rent Ready?
Is Your Baltimore City Property Rent Ready?
Is Your Baltimore City Property Rent Ready?
Are you and your Baltimore City renters on the same page when it comes to rent readiness? Small issues that don’t bother you could end up making renters pass you by, and could leave you with units sitting much longer than they should be. In some cases, you could even end up dealing with fines from Baltimore City for something you overlooked. Here’s how to get your rental ready for the new occupants.
Compliance with Baltimore City Laws and Regulations
The most important part of getting rent ready is ensuring that you are meeting all of Baltimore City’s requirements. The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development
is very clear on what a landlord needs to do to register their rental property and have it up to the standards set by the city. The People’s Law website
is another excellent resource for double-checking that you have everything covered.
The rental inspection checklist shows you exactly what the house inspector is looking for. Take it with you as you go through your rental property to see whether you would fail on any of those points. By getting everything handled in advance, you reduce the time it takes to register your rental property in Baltimore City.
Professional Cleaning Standards
People’s cleanliness standards vary across the board, but if you want to make a great first impression on prospective tenants, then it’s best to pull out all the stops. Many landlords use cleaning services with great reputations, but you may not have that option if you’re just getting started.
The good news is that empty rooms are the easiest to clean. You don’t have a lot of surfaces or items to collect dust, so you can quickly dust, vacuum, and mop your way through the basics. After that, it’s time to get into the detail work.
Cleaning doorknobs, windows, light switches, fixtures, window sills, baseboards, and walls are a few of the things that you need to go as part of this process. You’ll also want to check the air filters for the HVAC system to ensure that they’re helping keep the air clean. Older rental units may not look brand new, but they should look close to it once you’re done.
There are many deep cleaning resources out there, so the one you end up using is based on your personal preference. A good starting point is Apartment Therapy’s deep cleaning guide. If you’re not already outsourcing this task to a professional service, it should be a priority so you can turn your attention to managing your units.
Testing Systems, Fixtures, and Appliances
Go through the rental unit and test everything that opens and closes or turns off and on. You want to catch any problems with the lights, fixtures, and appliances before a tenant moves in, as it’s a lot more complicated to schedule maintenance around them.
Another area to note is whether the toilets are flushing correctly, the water pressure is good in all sinks, showers, and bathtubs, the fridge and freezer are holding appropriate temperatures, the windows open and close, the HVAC system heats and cools the house, and the stove and oven work properly.
Open and close all cabinets, drawers, and doors. Look for loose hardware that may need tightened or replaced before a tenant moves in. If you have shelving in the closets or other parts of the house, ensure that they’re secured to the wall.
Do a thorough test with all of the safety monitoring equipment on-site, such as the fire and carbon monoxide alarms. Check the dates on fire extinguishers, if they’re provided, so they’re not too old to be useful in an emergency.
Safety Hazards
Look for potential safety hazards in the unit, especially ones that would pose a risk to the elderly, the young, and the disabled. Carpet that’s bunched up in places or railing that is in danger of coming loose from the wall are two examples of these hazards. Exposed or damaged electrical wiring is another concern.
Performing Repairs and Preventative Maintenance
You don’t have to work around a tenant’s schedule when the unit is empty, so that’s the best time to handle any repairs and preventative maintenance that are needed. You have the opportunity to inspect the unit thoroughly and discover small issues before they turn into big problems. Since the renters may not know what to look for when it comes to repair and maintenance warning signs, it’s best to get as much done as possible in this time frame.
Landscaping and Exterior Work
You have more flexibility on the timing of your landscaping and exterior work since you don’t have to go inside the unit and disrupt the tenant’s daily activities and private life in the process. However, you do want to focus on the curb appeal of your rental unit, so people don’t drive off before they even get out of the car for a showing.
Power washing the stairs and sidewalk, pulling out weeds, and cleaning the windows can go a long way towards making the place look inviting. Consider where the prospective tenant may end up parking and keep that pathway looking neat and tidy.
Should You Renovate the Unit Before You Start Renting It?
Renovations can be a significant hassle to schedule when you have renters occupying the unit. On the other hand, you may need the rental cash flow to support the renovations. Take a look at your competition when making this decision. If you’re in a hot neighborhood and everyone around you is offering fully renovated rental units and lots of bells and whistles, then you may need to go through this process to keep up.
On the other hand, some renters are used to the interiors of townhouses looking a bit dated. After all, many of the Baltimore rowhomes are over 100 years old, so there’s a lot of accommodating for characters and quirks.
Special Considerations for Unit Turnovers
There are a few things to look for following a tenant moving out that you don’t have to worry about during the initial rental round. Baltimore is prone to any number of pests, mice, rats, bed bugs, and cockroaches among them. Look for signs of infestation in the unit and arrange for any necessary extermination.
Did your tenants have pets? You want to get all of the dander and the odor out of carpets and flooring. Enzyme based cleaners are your friend if you have dog or cat urine smell present. Get or rent a carpet cleaner for full deep cleaning of carpets. A steam mop will disinfect other types of flooring.
Were the tenants smokers? If they smoked inside the house, the walls likely have residue from it. Make sure all surfaces are cleaned up from this before renting out the unit. It may be easier and less expensive to repaint the walls for remediation.
Did the renters have children? Look for markings on the walls, dents, and breaks in the wall, and scuff marks throughout the home.
Walking Through Like a Tenant
After you finish with repairs, maintenance, renovations, deep cleaning, and other essential tasks, it’s time to take an objective look at your rental unit. If you were going to be living in this space, does it seem appealing to you? What areas catch your eyes the most? Are there any repairs or dirt that you missed?
If possible, get some family members or friends (especially those who rent) to do a walk-through with you. See what problems they point out and the places that they notice.
Taking Rental Unit Photos
A camera with a wide angle lens is your best friend for taking photos of your property. This type of lens can cover the entire room and give renters a good idea of what to expect when it comes to space. While some landlords and property management companies
use fisheye lenses, which is a type of wide angle lens that is ultra-wide, this sometimes has the side effect of misrepresenting the space available. You don’t want renters to have an unpleasant surprise when they come to the showing.
Staging the property for the photoshoot is a good idea. You end up with more visually appealing photos and give the renters a sense of scale for each room. It’s hard to tell if a particular size bed can fit in a bedroom when they just have a bare room picture to reference, and that could lead them to pass up a Baltimore City listing that would be a great fit.
Wait for a day with a lot of natural lighting, or a bright overcast day. Good lighting makes your job as a photographer a lot easier. While you can bring a lighting kit if you prefer, it’s a lot less hassle if the natural lighting does the work for you.
Unless you make any significant changes to the rental unit, you can reuse these photos every time you need to list the property.
Getting your property rent-ready is an extensive process, but it means that you’re covering all your bases and ensuring that you don’t run into any problems in getting it rented out. Make sure before you start or continue putting money into real estate in this part of Baltimore City, you should have a plan for maximizing your rental investments.
In addition, we offer residential property management
for investors and owners of rental properties. If you are an owner who only has one rental property, or an investor who has over one hundred properties, we can manage your properties effectively for you!
