My Tenant Compliance is Top 'O the Mark. Is Yours?

[Eric Love]

If not here's help:

1) Convert all your documents, especially your lease to simple, plain language.  Tenants

      can comply only with what they understand.  Think about it.

2) Avoid "cookie cutter", same-for-all type leases and documents.  Always have your

      forms adapted for your own property and examined by a qualified, licensed

      attorney to ensure compliance with all laws applicable to your rentals.

3) Create or purchase a document titled "Demonstrations of Appliance & Property Use"

    On check-in day, demo the use of *everything, and I mean everything (only takes about

    20 minutes) in the rental.  Have Tenant sign the form (there's just something about

    "signing on the dotted line" . . . makes one feel more committed.  (*location of Main

          Breaker; water cutoffs; range and oven (no use of aluminum foil); position of oven

          door for broiling;

4) Create or get my "Property Care & Use Manual" for your Tenants' reference at

          any time around the clock.  I have one with 28 sections.  The first page of each

          section contains my reminders/instructions and behind that is a copy of mnfg's

          instructions (if the section is about an appliance).  This will help you:

          a) improve your Tenants' care of your property, b) give you more latitude in

          charging for Tenant-caused damages ("all you had to do is read the manual

          instead of yanking that knob") c) keep your Tenants safer; d) minimize the

          number of calls to you the Landlord, e) deliver yet another example of how

          dedicated you are to serving and protecting your Tenants.

Positive results from following the advice above reminds me of a comment I heard from an outside salesman in the early 2000's:  "Good grief . . . cell phones, email, GPS . . . there's just no where else to hide any more".  As I chuckled to myself I thought how novel it was that technology has put every Sales Manager on the front seat by every outside sales rep.

Similar to the above paragraph, my voice is on top my Tenants refrigerators.  I like to think of the procedures above as giving my Tenants "the incentive to comply", instead of "no where else to hide".  And that's not a bad thing.  My Tenants stay safer, property is preserved, costs are lowered, my Landlording reputation is enhanced while my job is made much easier.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Eric Love, the Original Paper Landlord, LLC