NBR: landlord/renting question

jennlin

i am currently renting out one of my houses...strangers, found via craigslist. we have no relationship outside landlord/tenant...we go months without any communication, they've paid on time every month. they have an 18 month lease that was signed 15 months ago... a couple weeks ago, they mentioned they were interested in re-signing the lease, if we would offer them the same terms for an additional 24 months. we are managing the property ourselves.

would it be weird if we requested to do a walk-through before we sign again? we have it stated in our contract that we can do a walk through whenever we want, if we give 48 hour notice (it was a standard contract)...but is it an invasion of privacy? do we just take a blind leap of faith and never walk into our house for another 2 years? we are friends with the neighbors (we used to live in that house), and the neighbors say they are good/nice people. my only concern is that the renters have 2 large dogs. it's a newer/nicer home in a decent neighborhood, so rent is higher than average..so it's not young college kids living there or anything..it's a young couple (early/mid 30's) and her brother (late 20's).

#needTBtomakemydecisions

txmom13

It wouldn't be weird at a all to do a walk through. They may actually be expecting it assuming they've rented an apartment before. Often tenants will use this time to request updates (often new carpet or paint).

shelley1002

I don't see a problem with it.

sleepy33

Not weird at all.

mancila60

If it is stated in the contract then you have every right to go in and do a walk through. I would do one and then you can see if the same terms still apply. If there is anything wrong with the home then you need to know so you can re-evaluate. Like @wedding06‌ said it can work in favor of both parties.

emmylou78

I've rented for years now. It's totally normal for a walk through. I would just give them notice about what day you'll be there, out of courtesy. (Not like I think you wouldn't of course!)

My apt complex now has quarterly inspections. They don't actually inspect, but they do replace the air filters which is nice. A few months ago they replaced specialty lightbulbs. I need the dates since I have dogs and they request they be kenneled during that time.

megs1409

Not at all weird.  And I'd definitely do it before you sign another 2 year lease.  As a general practice, I would probably go in once a year for a general look at the property for anything YOU think may be need to be replaced, etc.

ballygirl

I don't think it would be weird. I've had landlords come by just to check on the property before. Its a time when tenants can bring up any maintenance concerns they might have too, so it can be beneficial for the renters as well.

MissLauraPants

I've never had a landlord do this before so I would think it was a weird request but if I were a landlord I'd totally want to do one.n I think you should pose it as something beneficial for them like anything that may need to be fixed etc.

jennlin

@wedding06 i don't know what we would be looking for...so thanks for bringing up tub caulking, fire hazards, etc, cause that's a place to start for me! what kind of housekeeping issues would i need to address? i was just thinking excessive damage to carpets by the pets..we do have a deposit, but TBH it's not very high ($1,200). rent is almost double that, and we *do* have the "last months" rent already.

we decided to keep it steady because the hassle of finding someone we liked to rent our house the first time took too long and was stressful...they really do seem like good people and pay on time. what they pay is already more than our mortgage for that property.

megs1409

I would look for any issues with stairs, handrails, any rotten wood anywhere outside (like on a deck or porch, for instance).  Makes sure there are no leaky faucets and the toilets aren't running (along with checking the tub caulking). 

If there is a washer/dryer, I'd look at the vent to make sure it's not blocked and looks to be cleaned regularly. 

Check out the oven, furnace, water heater - anything that would cost major $$$ if you had to replace because someone didn't tell you there was an issue timely. 

On that note, depending on what you have for a heating system, I'd probably send someone over to do a maintenance check on it. 

And like other PP have said, I'd probably ask the tenants if there is anything of concern to them maintenance-wise.

 

tashad18

I agree with PP's that it wouldn't be weird.  It is better to see how things look before releasing rather than to find out it is completely junked out when they are done with their additional two years.

huntjul

Our last apartment we had management in probably on a monthly basis checking various things, changing furnace filters, checking smoke detectors, etc.  And they didn't give any notice, just left a hang tag on the door.  Just give them a regular few days' notice, and you'll be fine.  If you really feel weird about it, tell them you're checking the furnace filter and go bang around in the thing for a while to pretend you did.  But yes, walk through.

ksimo6

I go through our rentals every six months and make sure all of the safety items are working properly (smoke alarms, co detectors, etc) and check on the furnace filter as well as makes sure none of the sinks are leaking. It is a good excuse to go in and look around.

amber0529

Definitely check it out. Whenever we're in the area of our rental about every 3-4 months we stop by. They're awesome tenants of course but it's always a good time to talk about any issues they're having.

blondolphn

I vote ask to do a walk through. This way you can keep any eye on things like carpeting and see if it will last 2 more years etc. Even if there's nothing you want to fix at this time, it give the impression that you care about the property and you are not a slum lord. 

hlb622

tl;dr Totally do it. You're the landlord; it's a small price to pay to get a 2-year renewal without a rent hike.

Before getting married and buying a house, I rented from an individual for 5 years, a complex for 5 years, and a property management company for 2 years. Each of them had walk-thrus written into the lease agreement and they always gave at least 24 hours' notice. The complex did the most maintenance, iirc. They checked fire alarms, smoke detectors, extinguishers, they looked for pests, wear and tear (that would fall into their responsibility, like light bulbs, scuffs, caulk, cracked windows, etc).

Tenants with nothing to hide will have absolutely no problem with it. Those that hesitate might be problematic and you'd want to know that now, not it two years or more. It's a win-win.

hlb622

On an unrelated note, my avatar changed. Wtf?

muffyvonmuff

Say you need to make sure your smoke detectors are up to code and walk through that way. I think you'd find out more if you gave them only the 24 hours notice for that reason.

On a side note I wish my tenants wouldn't talk to me for months at a time.