Landlord tasks

Dive into the five landlord tasks you don’t want to miss to ensure your rental property stays in top condition throughout the year. Regular inspections and maintenance, financial management, and tenant check-ins are all essential for preventing issues and ensuring tenant satisfaction. Prioritize these quarterly tasks to protect your investment and streamline your property management process.

Managing a rental business can involve a lot of responsibilities, and juggling all the roles you must play can take its toll without some proper planning. As a landlord or property manager, being proactive and regularly maintaining your management tasks will make your job far easier, ensure happier tenants, and lead to better ROI. If you manage a rental property, these quarterly tasks are ones you should be sure to check off your to-do list each season.

Perform Property Inspection and Safety Checks:

A quarterly property inspection can ensure your property is taken care of and that any damage or issues are not missed or unreported. Regular inspections will protect your property from preventable damage due to weather, age and the occasional tenant-related issue. Remember that waiting for a tenant maintenance reports are no substitute for physical inspections; many renters have not owned a home and don’t know what safety or damage markers to look out for, so it’s important to conduct a regular inspection yourself. 

Check for small water leaks that tenants may miss or underreport– these issues can cause costly damage to your property long-term. Look for indications that the property is being cared for in accordance with the lease terms. Finally, check for any safety issues that need to be addressed for tenant wellbeing.

Learn more: Safety Checklist For Rental Properties- Infographic

Conduct Seasonal Maintenance:

Maintenance is a crucial part of owning and caring for a rental property. Conducting seasonal maintenance prevents damage that would otherwise mitigate your long-term ROI, and a well-maintained property creates a safe and welcoming environment for your tenants to thrive. This is vital for great customer service as a landlord and is essential to maintaining a habitable space for your renters.

Each season, there are important maintenance tasks you should tend to at your rental property, along with a few tasks that must be completed annually. These tasks should be split across your quarterly tasks to ensure they are completed.

  • Winter: 
    • Inspect HVAC
    • Winterize pipes
    • Prevent slips 
    • Check water heater
    • Weatherproof cracks
  • Spring: 
    • Address spring flooding or moisture issues
    • Check gutters
    • Clean foundation vents
    • Tend to landscaping
  • Summer:
    • Inspect air conditioning
    • Service pool
    • Adjust irrigation system
    • Fire wise prep
    • Check outdoor amenities
  • Fall:
    • Have roofing inspected
    • Check and clean gutters
    • Seal holes pests or critters can access
    • Remove leaves and debris from yard

Learn more: Rental Property Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide – Free Ebook

Financial Management

Great bookkeeping is at the heart of great ROI. Without knowing your bottom line, it’s impossible to make informed financial decisions regarding your current investment properties and makes it risky to pivot or grow your portfolio. At the end of the quarter it’s a great time to ensure that your financial ducks are in a row. Take a moment to ensure your monthly reconciliations were all completed and that any financial data was input properly. While you should be completing this step each month, it’s better to have another reminder at the end of the quarter than miss it until the end of the year. This is a great time to ensure you’ve stayed on top of your rental accounting to prep for tax time. No one wants to be scrambling at the end of the year in anticipation of tax season.

Learn more: Rental Property Accounting Tips And Tricks For Landlords And Property Managers

Legal compliance is a crucial part of property management. Conducting a quick check each quarter to ensure you are meeting all the legal requirements and obligations as a landlord, is essential for protecting your property and your tenants. Landlord-tenant law is ever-changing, and ignorance of a particular law will not get you out of a sticky situation. If you are in the rental business staying abreast of law updates and doing a quick review to ensure you are compliant with all current landlord-tenant laws is a best-practice activity that you may want to consider adding to your to-do list. 

Another great way to stay on top of any rental industry updates is to join a rental association or landlord association which can offer expert advice and peer support within your area. This can be an excellent way to connect with your local, regional, and state representation to learn more about or participate in new or evolving rental laws.

Learn more: Why Join a Rental Association?

Check-In With Tenants

Tenants are the heart of the industry, and great customer service and fostering a connection is the best way to ensure a great landlord-tenant relationship. Establishing a connection with your tenants is key, and there’s no better time than when you’re already on-site. When you stop by for a property inspection or to conduct seasonal maintenance, be sure that you properly check in with your tenants. With any great relationship, open communication remains pivotal in establishing trust. 

Offering regular check-ins can ensure that your tenants get to know you on and feel more confident expressing any concerns or requests. Whenever it makes sense to say yes, be sure to follow up in a timely manner. If you need to say no to any requests, be sure to do it in a professional and empathetic manner. Attempt to add in some alternative solutions that you feel your tenant might find helpful.

Learn more: 5 Things Landlords And Property Managers Can Do To Connect With Tenants

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