Setting Decorating Rules for Your Rental Properties

Letting your tenants make their rental units feel like home can be a great way to help ensure that your best tenants stick around. However, you have to balance this freedom to decorate with your need to preserve your properties in a way that lets you turn them around quickly when it is time to re-rent them. To do so, you need a decorating policy that is written into your lease. Setting decorating rules can be challenging, but an experienced property management company can help you develop guidelines that will protect your properties while giving tenants the flexibility they want. As you consider your decorating policy, these tips will help.

Be Specific

Don’t assume that your tenants will know what they can and can’t do in your rental unit. Although it may seem obvious that renters can’t change appliance appliances or knock down a wall, if it is doesn’t specify it in your lease, your tenants may take it as tacit approval. Usually language that forbids making permanent changes can cover a wide range of decorating issues. Your property management company will help you get the wording correct so that you have legal recourses if your tenants violate these terms.

Know Your Limits

Some landlords allow tenants to make changes to the property that are easily reversible, as long as they restore the unit to its previous condition before moving. For instance, you may choose to allow your tenants to paint as long as they repaint the walls in the original color before they leave. If they fail to do so, you can hire a painter using their security deposit to restore the space. Other landlords don’t want to deal with the hassle of potentially having to take on these tasks. Consider which approach is best for you.

Encourage Questions

Encourage tenants to ask questions if they are considering doing some decorating that they aren’t sure is approved. Your property manager can field these queries for you.

Let MRS Property Management help you create a lease that attracts good tenants while protecting your rights. Get the answers to all of your questions about our residential property management services near Beverly, MA by calling (978) 927-3690.