Landlord Duties & Responsibilities: Are You Up for The Job?

There are many requirements and responsibilities expected of a landlord and sometimes it can be a grueling, thankless job. The question is are you up for the job?

Some basic landlord duties include being able to deal with tenants on an ongoing basis, writing and enforcing rental agreements, collecting rent payments, dealing with complaints, as well evicting people who are just not living in the rental as the lease states. There may be problems with renters who can’t or won’t pay their rent for one reason or another and you might have to take them to court in order to get paid.

You also have to really educate yourself in landlord tenant laws, not only to protect yourself from your tenants, but also so they are protected from you. Sure, you may be a great landlord, but you have to know all there is to know about the laws, building codes, and ways to deal with people in a timely manner.

Landlords also have to write valid rental agreements that clearly state what your requirements are for tenants. You can do this with an attorney’s help but the rental agreement should include how much rent and deposits are expected, what date the rent is due, and what penalties are going to incur for lack of payments. The lease agreement has to clearly state what your responsibilities are, on top of the obvious, and what is expected from the renter.

If you don’t want smoking, or pets, or kids, then this has to be clearly pointed out, in easy to read sentences, or you are going to have problems. When you have written out a rental agreement, you have to have it checked by an attorney, to make sure it is legal, and without any loopholes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. You are responsible for maintaining a safe environment to live in, meaning that everything in the unit has to be up to code and in good working condition. It is your responsibility to maintain the landscaping, fixing any problems in and around the property, as well as clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways.

You also need to maintain an adequate amount of liability insurance, in case of an accident or injury to one of your tenants. You need to make sure there is enough safety equipment in the rental unit, such as fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors.

The payments to have any thing fixed is solely your responsibility and you have to make sure that either you can do the job right or can afford to hire a professional. This means that you have to have someone on call at all times, in case of an emergency in the middle of the night such as pipes leaking, broken glass, and just about anything else that may arise during the course of the tenancy.

If you think you can deal with all of this, then maybe being a landlord is right for you. If you can be a good landlord, taking care of your tenants in a fast and friendly manner, you will have renters who will want to keep their unit clean and who will never want to leave.