Welcoming new tenants to your property is an experience worth celebrating. But that is just the start of your journey as a landlord. Once your new renters have moved in, you must ensure that you are taking care of their comfort, safety, and security needs.
Ensuring a secure living environment is a massive challenge if you have little to no experience managing a rental property. But once you learn what to do, it becomes as easy as carrying out a simple set of chores.
To assist you with this process, here is how you can ensure the safety of your rental property.
In this article
Analyze Your Property
To properly secure your rental property, you need to learn its weak points. This may require looking into entry points, surrounding locations, and digital security measures. Afterward, you can make a detailed plan to resolve any concerns. This allows you to safeguard your property before attracting new tenants.
Screen Potential Renters
In order to make your rental property a safe space, you need to ensure that you are opening its doors to the right tenants. Through renter’s credit checks, you can ensure you deal with tenants with no red flags, such as bad eviction records or criminal history. This lowers your chances of giving your property away to someone who might be a security risk themselves. In addition to securing your property, this also keeps surrounding neighbors safe.
Install Bright Lights
Installing outdoor lighting around your property is one of the easiest ways to heighten your security. When a property’s surroundings are brightly lit at night, it prevents bad actors from encroaching. You don’t have to run from vendor to vendor to get these fixtures. You can get all the essentials in one place with solutions such as an outdoor lighting kit.
Get Strong Doors and Windows
Whether you are following tips for managing a condominium association or suggestions for running a homeowners association, installing strong doors and windows on associated properties often comes up in security meetings. Sturdy doors and windows can prevent many break-ins by their simple presence in a home. This makes them an affordable but effective way to enhance the security of any property.
Change the Locks After a Tenant Leaves
Changing your locks after your last tenants bid farewell to your property is a good practice. It is because while living at your property, your tenants may have shared their keys or codes with various people. If you don’t change your locks, this could expose your property and new tenants to security risks. While changing old locks, you can look into newer options, such as a touchscreen security lock.
Ensure Proper Landscaping
Landscaping is one of those risk factors that could heighten your exposure to security threats without raising any alarms beforehand. When bushes and plants are unkempt, they can provide hiding spots for burglars, thieves, and other criminals at night. By ensuring proper landscaping, you can steer clear of these risks. If you don’t have the time to manage these aspects, you can explore the benefits of property management services to delegate your responsibilities.
Look Into Modern Security Cameras
Regardless of who manages your property, the requirement to install security cameras may always be on the table. Exploring options such as Wi-Fi home security cameras can help your tenants keep an eye on the property. In addition to enhancing the overall security for your tenants, this also helps with enhancing the rental value of your property. Since the investment doesn’t break the bank, it remains an affordable addition to your property.
These solutions can help you fortify the security of your property without adding excessive burden to your shoulders. This allows your tenants to become more secure in their decision to continue living at your property while lowering income breaks due to high tenant turnover.
