RentWise Property Management

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Ultimate Guide To Preparing Your Property For Winter

Winter is coming! I know, Fall just arrived, right? It is hard to believe that it is almost time to talk about snowy days and crisp air. Property Managers are always thinking ahead, so it is time to tackle some strategic planning before the snowflakes fall. We have created this ultimate guide to help you get ahead of the seasons and avoid any snowy situations.

Planning ahead for the winter months is one of the most important parts of maintaining a property, especially a rental. Tenants depend on their property managers and property owners to keep their homes safe and secure when inclement weather hits. Not only does being proactive keep future costs down, but it also protects you from a potentially costly liability. Here are some of the best tips to ensure that your property is in tip-top shape before the seasons change:

Have Your Furnace and Chimney Inspected & Cleaned

Tenants typically don’t think about the HVAC system in their home until it is time to turn them on. One of the largest dangers, when the seasons change, is a faulty HVAC system or a malfunctioning fireplace. This is a recipe for disaster as both can cause fire and release carbon monoxide into the home if they are not performing properly. While your inspection is being done, it is a good idea to ensure that the ductwork is clean and that the chimney is free from debris. This takes us to our next suggestion.

Inspect Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

With cooler weather comes the use of the furnace and/or fireplace if your property has that feature. Tenants are asked to test their smoke & carbon monoxide detectors each quarter. One of the largest hazards in the cooler months is fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. The fireplace and the furnace have been lying dormant for many months and the tenant will likely assume they are functioning just fine and turn them on.

Clean your gutters

Fall is awesome and beautiful but also can leave a mess at your property. Another suggestion to prepping your property for winter is to ensure your gutters are free of leaves, branches, and other debris. If your gutters are full, it will weigh the gutters down. Also, ice may accumulate in the gutters from improper drainage. The extra weight from snow/ice/debris may cause the gutters to fall off your home while damaging the exterior in the process.

Inspect The Roof

The extra weight of snow and ice on a roof that is not in great shape can act like a ticking time bomb. This may cause leaks or even collapse of the roof into your rental. Having a certified roofing contractor giving your roof a good once-over will ease your mind and inform you of the remaining life of your roof.

Drain Sprinklers and Wrap Exterior Pipes

Draining sprinkler systems and wrapping exterior pipes and spigots will prevent leaks and frozen pipes. Standing water in pipes or irrigation systems will almost certainly freeze. This causes the pipes to crack and sometimes burst which in turn can cause water damage and a large mess to clean up!

Trim Trees

This is a tip that sometimes gets overlooked. Snow and ice love to sit on tree branches. If there is a tree close to your property you do not want the tree to break and fall on the property or other exterior features.

Inspect Exterior for Trip and Fall Hazards

Inspecting and repairing any trip and fall hazards is one of the most important steps you can take in getting your home ready for winter. Cracked sidewalks, broken handrails, loose decking are all liabilities and require your immediate attention. This is true anytime, but especially when mother nature is in control in the winter.

Check Trim on Doors and Windows

Increased drafts inside a home will cause the HVAC system to work harder. This means added wear and tear on your furnace and your property which will result in additional costs sooner than later. Having an energy-efficient home not only protects your pockets from a costly HVAC replacement, but it also keeps your home in great shape by keeping the elements outside where they belong.

As you can see, there are many effective ways to protect your property. We care about our property owners and tenants just like our friends and family. We would love to have you as part of our RentWise Family! For more information on how we make things “Less Hassle, More Happy”- visit us here! 

What To Consider When Adding A Roommate To Your Lease

There are many reasons why you may want to add a roommate to your existing lease. Maybe your existing roommate is getting married or moving out of state, or you just need someone to share your rent. This is very common.  Many times, there are great advantages to adding someone new to your household. This includes sharing utilities, expenses, and having company. Allowing someone to reside in your household without taking the right steps is not only considered illegal subletting but can set you up for eviction and/or fees and fines.  There are a few boxes that you need to check before allowing someone new to move into your home. 

Check your lease

First things first, you need to check your lease to see the protocol for adding a new tenant. It is likely that your proposed roommate will have to complete a new rental application and go through the screening process. Once they sign an application, they are now legally responsible for the rent, just as you are. Furthermore, it will help to know what you have to do on your end to make sure you are following the agreement you signed. 

Are there fees? 

Additional tenants occupying a property can mean more wear and tear so there may be some costs associated with adding a roommate. Here at RentWise, we request a $250 fee to process the application, screen the proposed tenant, and completed the required documentation needed to update the resident’s file. 

Communicate with your property manager

Communication is always key in maintaining a healthy relationship- especially when it comes to the professional managing your property. Talking with your property manager prior to committing to a new household resident will save you all a logistical headache. Your property manager will appreciate a heads up that you are considering adding a tenant and will be more open to working with you. 

Be sure that  you choose your new roommate wisely

Last but not least, make sure that you have truly thought out your decision to add someone new to your residence. Having a new roommate can be exciting, but may not actually be the best choice in the long run. Once you complete the steps to add a roommate, it is a hassle to undo them. Releasing a roommate requires you to submit income statements and additional documentation. This will show your property manager that you are able to handle the lease requirements on your own.

If you want to know more about our services, reach out to us at 208-949-3083 or courtney@rentwisepm.com. Less Hassle. More Happy.

Taskmasters: Who Are They and Why Do We Use Them?

 

Property management is a multifaceted industry. Between onboarding new clients, resident applications, inspections, maintenance requests, and more- our days are busy! Have you ever wondered how we get it all done? I’ll share one of our secrets with you: utilizing a preferred vendor, Taskmasters. Our mission is to provide excellent service and do it with the highest quality of tools and technology. We strive to be the best. And using a specialized service such as Taskmasters allows us to focus on our property owners and residents and meet their needs in record time. 

So, who are they? Taskmasters Idaho provides additional expertise to our arsenal of professionalism and efficiency. RentWise manages many types of properties. We believe our vendors are the best in the business and take our service to the next level. Furthermore, Taskmasters specializes and assists with a wide variety of property management services, here are a few that we may utilize: 

Sign/Lockbox placement or drop off

Notice services such as placing 24-Hour and 3-Day Notices to enter the property with the resident

Move-out condition report

A final move-out condition report is indisputably one of the most important functions of a property manager. An unrushed, thorough condition report after a tenant vacates a property is in the best interest of all parties involved. Not only does the report include a floor-to-ceiling inspection with a written survey, but it also includes photos of any notations made. This allows us to compare the initial move-in condition report to the final move-out documentation. 

Exterior Surveys

Visual surveying of a property needs to be completed from time to time. This helps us to address any compliance issues and allows us to act quickly to remedy the situation.  Exterior surveys include a photo of each property and a compliance form sent to us if there are any issues spotted. Additionally, while this survey is being completed, there is no disturbance to the resident or owner and it is a quick and efficient way to confirm that the property is kept in great condition. 

Pet Checks

We love pets! However, sometimes pets can cause damage. A pet check includes a photo of the pet as well as a visual survey of the property for any damage. This protects our residents as well as the property owner. 

Vacant Property Checks

Keeping an unoccupied home safe and secure between showings is imperative! Conducting vacant property checks helps to provide our property owners with peace of mind that their investment remains in tip-top shape for the next resident.  The checklist includes: plumbing checks and testing functionality, ensuring that the home is secure and locked, confirms that utilities are on and functioning, removing any flyers or debris from the front entry, verifying signage, visually inspecting for pests. 

Our motto here at RentWise is “Less Hassle, More Happy”. We believe that you should love what you do and have fun doing it! Not only do we love our clients and our residents, but we also love our team of vendors too! Let us show you how hiring the right property manager can be a game-changer for your investment! We can’t wait to connect with you! Read more about our property management services, and give us a call at (208) 949-3083!

The importance and types of insurance for property management and vendors.

Managing the property of clients can be very rewarding. As professionals, we always have the best interest of our clients in mind. We must also consider many factors, such as awareness of all of the potential risks we may face and how to protect the business. The risks may vary but can include vandalism, theft, legal and/or lawsuit compensation, fire, and so on. Having adequate insurance coverage helps to protect our assets and keeps the business running. 

We also require the vendors that we hire to supply insurance. This protects the property owner, property management, the tenant, and of course the vendor. This may include auto liability or a general liability policy. Ensuring that each one of these vendors has adequate coverage in line with their type of business operations is key. 

Some examples of insurance for a property manager and vendors include:

 

Property Management

  • Professional Liability Insurance(Sometimes called Errors and Omissions insurance or E&O) The types of claims that fall under professional liability may include:
    Tenant Discrimination- a potential or current tenant claims that property wasn’t rented to them or faced harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, children, or national origin.
    Wrongful Eviction- While the lease is still valid, a tenant believes they were unlawfully evicted. They may sue for damages such as the cost of moving, lost wages, the cost of the replacement lease/deposits, etc.
    Property Damage by Error-failure to inspect fire extinguishers and fire caused damage to the property where it could have been prevented with a fire extinguisher. Failure to investigate complaints or maintenance requests(such as noise, pets, pet, plumbing) that may result in further damage to property.
  • General Liability Insurance-The types of claims that fall under General Liability may include:
    Property damage- The example is similar to the Professional Liability claim. Damage was caused to the property whether it be a failure to inspect, investigate or mitigate. It also includes accidentally damaging a tenant’s property during a showing or walk-through.
    Resident injury- This includes failure to maintain safe public premises for tenants and guests such as handrails, trip and fall hazards, snow and/or ice removal (depending on the lease contract) electrical hazards, environmental hazards.

Vendor/Contractor 

  • General Liability Insurance– sometimes called Commercial General Liability Insurance. Two of the main concerns with a General Liability Policy are:
    Property Damage– a vendor damages the property while performing a service or maintenance request. This could be accidental or negligence.
    Customer or tenant injury– ie: if you tripped over a vendor’s toolbox and needed medical attention.
    Commercial Auto Liability- covers property damage or injury caused by a vehicle used on the job.

 

Our Why

As a property management team, we act on behalf of the owner and treat the investment as if it is our own. We are experts in property management as this is all we do, so rest assured it is our only priority.  Learn more here about the benefits of doing business with an experienced, dedicated, team of professionals who take pride in the success and protection of our clients.

 

 

 

 

Bi-annual preventative maintenance assessments on every property we manage.

We care about our clients and are committed to continued satisfaction. We understand and appreciate that as your property manager, you are entrusting us to be the voice and eyes for your investment. Inspections or assessments may seem like a burdensome task, but we believe in being proactive.

The majority of property owners don’t live in their rental property buildings or even nearby, so they turn to us to ensure that regular and routine inspections of the property are conducted. This helps to make certain that their property is being well taken care of and that anything beyond the scope of expected wear and tear is addressed quickly and efficiently. Proactive assessments also help to improve resident satisfaction which leads to better resident retention. 

 

Here are a few benefits of a property assessment on a bi-annual basis:

  • Ensures that residents are following the lease terms and that they are taking care of any tenant-required maintenance tasks (lawn care, pet care, etc.)
  • Helps to identify, monitor, and mitigate any safety hazards on the property that could potentially be a liability (electrical wires, trip, and fall hazards, handrails, smoke/carbon monoxide detectors)
  • Establish if there are any serious concerns such as leaking or busted plumbing, missing shingles/roof leaks/life of the roof, pest control, windows, HVAC, and prevent any existing damage from getting out of control and costing the property owner more as time goes on

 

If you’re in the market for a property manager that will work with you to keep your investment profitable and ensure it remains well maintained, call us today at 208-949-3083. Click here to receive a free rental estimate and a detailed report on your property. 

Top Idaho Landlord Repairs for Rentals

Every state has laws when it comes to Landlord and Tenant guidelines.

States require particular things from the lease to the cost of rent and how the owner can raise it, to the repairs. As a landlord, some things are strictly their responsibility to do for repairs, and then there are things as a tenant that fall to them to fix. In this blog, we will go over things that are specific to the state of Idaho. However, nothing on this page should be taken as legal advice. You should always consult with your lease, lawyer, or property manager for questions and concerns regarding your property or your current lease situation. Also, please note that in Idaho, landlord and tenant rights are slightly different for mobile home parks and condominiums.

In the state of Idaho, Landlord repairs are pretty specific for minimums.

Idaho law mandates that landlords must ensure residential properties they rent meet certain conditions. The owner (landlord) must maintain the good working order of all electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, or bathrooms supplied to the tenant. So repairs to air conditioning units, replacing parts to your heater such as a heating element are done at the owner’s expense. Other items would also be repairs to the hot water tank, repairing any plumbing under sinks or behind walls. You will find that some rules file under these repairs. Make sure you check your lease and understand what you could do to shift the landlord’s responsibility to yourself, the tenant.

Examples of this could be damage to any parts of a water heater due to the tank being emptied and left emptied. Damage to the air conditioning unit due to irregular filter changing. Damage to toilets/sinks due to obstruction with anything that the plumbing system is not designed for. Smoke detectors that are up to code are also the responsibility of the owner as well. However, changing the batteries to the units falls under the tenant unless the property is vacant.  Remember, check your lease for property specifics.

Other top Idaho landlord repairs for rental homes you will find would be the repair of roofs. Any leaks, holes, or roof damage must and should be reported immediately to your landlord in writing. If you are renting from a property management company, should be reported immediately to them. Electrical outlets you find that does not work and require a professional to check also must be notified. By Idaho law, landlords are responsible for maintaining their tenant’s safety and health. Items like exposed wires, insect infestation such as termites. 

 

Know the following….

It is essential to know that you must request these repairs in writing as a tenant. Once the landlord receives written notice of the required repairs needed, they have three (3) days to address the issue(s). Here is where renting through a property manager comes in handy. After all, they are working to keep both the tenant and landlord’s best interests in hand. Learn how RentWise Property Management manages maintenance requests here. Also, please note under no circumstances under Idaho law can you withhold your rent until repairs are done. Failing to make rent in full and on time, you run the risk of being evicted no matter the reasons.  

 

If you are an owner and would like to learn more about frequently asked questions, get those HERE. 

 

If you are a renter or looking to rent a home in the Treasure Valley and want more information contact us today!