10.17.13 Landlord Training Learnings

I attended a local landlording training session this week. The focus was on behavior management (getting and keeping quality tenants by the way you set the tone) and making healthy communities. The trainer hit the nail on the head when he said landlording is all about people management.

Some interesting things I picked up:

• Potential application questions: Have you ever moved an unauthorized occupant into a rental unit? Have you ever disables a smoke detector for more than 15 minutes?
• As part of the application process, request to see the registration and insurance information for vehicles that will be parked on your rental property. Having it or not having it speaks to how much they respect rules.
• Define smoking in a unit as “a non-smoker able to smell smoke indoors”, which is harder for tenants to deny.
• Charge a fine for disabling smoke detectors, or not replacing batteries. In Washington State it is legal to charge up to $200. This jeopardizes the property value and is a big health and safety risk.
• Again, in Washington State, the lead disclosure is only required for properties built before 1978. (We’ve been including it for all rental agreements).
• List available units at housingsearchnw.org (in the Pacific Northwest).