Do you own an investment property? If so, you know how important it is to keep it safe.
You put a lot of work and money into your real estate investment, so keeping it safe is important.
Not to mention, as a landlord, it's your job to provide your tenants with a safe place to reside. Your tenants have to feel safe and comfortable when living in your unit. This will make tenants feel happy and will encourage them to continue renewing their lease.
In this post, Sun-Pro Realty and Management is offering you 10 tips on how you can increase the security of your property.
Our Top 10 Tips for Keeping Your Investment Property Safe
1. Choose a Safe Location
The best way to have a safe rental property is to invest in a safe area with a low crime rate.
Location is everything. If your rental is located in an unsafe area, the risk of having burglars or other problems will increase.
Before investing in a property, be sure to conduct a thorough research on the property location.
2. Boost the Door Security
Burglars breaking in is scary. Prevent this situation by ensuring the doors to your property are secure.
Be sure that your doors are built of steel or wood as these are sturdy and resilient. Try to avoid having doors with glass panels.
You may also want to consider having a double-cylinder deadbolt to increase the security. A double-deadbolt will ensure that a burglar can't get through and open the door, even if they break the door's window, for instance.
Alternatively, you can install chain locks on each door in your property.
You may also want to install peepholes so tenants can see who is at the door before opening it.
All these tips will increase your home's security and may help tenants feel safer.
3. Ensure Windows are Secure
Ensuring the doors are secure is crucial, but don't forget about the windows! We suggest that all your windows have locks, no matter what floor they are on.
4. Have Good Lighting
The chances of criminal activities, like theft, will be reduced if there is a lot of light around your property.
Consider installing motion-detecting lights around your property. Also, you want to have lighting in parking lots, near garage doors, and at every entrance way.
5. Provide Emergency Contact Information
Be sure that all your tenants know the emergency numbers to call in emergency situations.
For instance, in addition to your phone number, your tenants should have the number of the neighborhood police station and of the company who handles property security.
Ensure that there numbers are posted inside the property and in public areas.
6. Maintain Routine Upkeep and Repairs
If you want to protect your investment and keep it safe and secure, you must be conducting routine maintenance and repairs.
If there's an issue, you need to fix it right away before it becomes major and potentially more dangerous.
Don't forget to also conduct routine inspections and tenant walk-through inspections. They will help you assess the overall state of your property and allow you to fix any problems that you identify.
7. Don't Forget the Insurance
Protect your investment by ensuring that you have homeowner's insurance. This will be your safety blanket. Your insurance should cover every type of damage and destruction.
Before selecting your insurance, be sure to read the policies and terms, and remember to keep your documents safe.
8. Be Friendly with Your Neighbours
By being on good terms with your neighbors, they will always keep an eye out on your investment. So, if they see something that looks mysterious, they will let you know.
9. Conduct Tenant Screening Before Leasing
Before renting out your property and making a tenant sign the lease agreement, it's important that you carefully screen tenants.
Unfortunately, tenants may sometimes create issues. A problematic tenant is one that defaults on payments, gets involved in illegal activities, or even stays in the property after their lease has expired, as a holdover tenant.
When you screen tenants, you mitigate the risks of renting to this kind of tenant.
10. Hire a Property Management Company
If you own an investment property, hiring a property manager is the best thing you can do for yourself.
A quality property manager can take care of any and all issues. Most importantly, they can ensure your property always meets safety standards, and help you avoid any potential rental scams.
Closing Thoughts
While you may have many responsibilities as a landlord, one of your most important duties is ensuring your investment property and your tenants are safe.
That said, we know how busy and overwhelming landlording can be. That's why we recommend working with a professional property management company. A property management company can help you with ensuring that your property is safe and secure at all times.
At Sun-Pro Realty and Management, our property managers visit your properties regularly to ensure everything is running smoothly. We can screen prospective tenants to find ones who will care for your property. We can also conduct regular inspections and maintenance to ensure your property is secure.
If you want help keeping your property and tenants safe, then contact us today!