It’s a good idea to detail which property maintenance procedures are a tenant’s responsibilities, and which belong to the landlord. This will eliminate any misunderstandings in the future, and it will probably get the necessary work done much faster. That being the case, A tenant’s guide to rental property maintenance procedures.
Tenant responsibilities
Everything that goes wrong in a rental unit is not the responsibility of the landlord to make it right. Here are some of the common procedures that are usually in the tenant’s area of responsibility:
- Reporting issues – nothing will ever be fixed if you don’t alert management that there’s a problem. Follow the established reporting procedure when requesting maintenance to your rental unit.
- Sanitation – keep your home safe and sanitary, and don’t let cleaning lapse so as to create a dirty, undesirable living environment.
- Hazard-free – make sure your unit is kept free of all hazards, so one of them doesn’t actually cause an accident. This includes having debris lying around and not reporting electrical or plumbing issues.
- Observing occupancy codes – every state has its own codes for occupancy, and if you don’t know yours, make a point of educating yourself. You have certain rights as a tenant, but you are also obliged to observe local occupancy laws and regulations.
- Additional maintenance – there are some rental property maintenance procedures., e.g. seasonal issues, that are specifically allocated to tenants. These will generally be described in the lease agreement, and when one of them occurs, take care of it promptly.
Landlord responsibilities
One of the first responsibilities of a landlord is reviewing all landlord/tenant laws to be sure you’re in compliance. Review the landlord faqs to learn more. The last thing you want is for a tenant to accuse you of ignoring or violating these laws, and making a big issue out of it. Confirm these responsibilities with property management companies in San Diego. Here are some of the other major elements that a landlord must be sure to handle on behalf of tenants:
- Carry out necessary repairs – whenever a tenant reports an issue requiring repairs, the landlord is obliged to follow through on it. These repairs should be legitimate issues, rather than daily nagging reports issued by a difficult tenant. Even a quick inspection will determine whether repair requests are legitimate, and then the appropriate action can be taken.
- Maintain common areas – by common areas, it is meant that there are certain areas that all tenants have equal access to. For instance, mowing the lawn and dust from the parking lot are maintenance tasks for common areas. Common area rooms must be kept clean and well-lit. There should be no safety hazards on the premises, which means there must be solid railings in place for all staircases.
- Building code compliance – smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors must be installed in all units. If mold or mildew are discovered, these must be promptly dealt with. Any infestations of vermin or insects must be eliminated, and any exposure to lead paint or asbestos must be dealt with.
- Ensure vital services are working – plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling are all systems that have to be kept in good working order. These are considered essential to living conditions, and must therefore be fully operational.
When both landlord and tenant handle their responsibilities as noted above, it can make for a much more harmonious relationship. If one or the other party is less than conscientious, that’s when troubles start to develop in the tenant/landlord relationship.