Renter Mistakes in Butler County, Kansas
Renting a home as a renter can be a lot different from leasing an apartment. Living in a house can be extremely rewarding. You can host family holiday gatherings easier, listen to your music a little louder without interfering with a thin-walled neighbor or someone below. You have the freedom to choose your own internet, host cookouts, have a swing set for the kids, work on hobbies in the garage, or plant flowers and vegetables. As a young couple, it can be great practice on living together, but also getting a better understanding of the responsibilities that can come with homeownership. The rewarding elements of renting a home can be endless.
However, these new freedoms often come with new costs and responsibilities. Oftentimes, the advanced square footage will increase the cost of gas, electricity, and water. You can usually call the utility companies to get an average of these costs at your potential rental property. While most apartments cover trash expenses, homes do not.
Understand the Rental Agreement Before Signing
Always read and understand a rental agreement before signing. Contracts are important and can have long-lasting consequences with a property management company. Not doing so will undoubtedly lead to misunderstandings, price increases, or losing your deposit.
As a property management company, we manage many different sizes and types of housing options. Due to this, we often must modify our rental agreements based on your property, so it is important that any specific arrangements or unique agreements we have discussed your potential home needs be mentioned in your rental contract. Please make sure these changes or modifications are reconciled before signing the contract.
Drafting up a list of questions for your property manager is always a great way to grow your communication with your property manager. Rental agreements are meant to be beneficial to both the property management company and the renter. If something in the contract does not sound right, please ask!
Maintenance Calls
If there is a leak, no matter where it is, please call El Dorado House for Rent immediately. Even if you think you can fix it yourself. Not doing so could add to further damaging the home and the property you are leasing which will likely increase the possibility for an unpleasant and extensive maintenance plan. Small problems are often resolved with minor solutions.
Plumbing and sewers are often not designed for all things. Therefore, flushing paper diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons, hygiene products, children’s toys, clumps of toilet paper, newspapers, or even “flushable” wipes down a toilet can lead to major plumbing problems that can cost a tenant unnecessarily. Allowing balls of hair, grease, oil, table scraps, clothing, rags, sand, dirt, and rocks to go down a kitchen or shower drain can also result in unfavorable outcomes for everyone.
Paying Rent Late
Paying your rent late can lead to unintended costs, stress, deposit reductions, or even eviction. Call El Dorado Houses for Rent property management before your rent is late. We do not want any of these unfortunate events to be a part of any of our lives. As a property management company, we must do our job in collecting payments from tenants for our homeowners. That is what we are hired to do. If money is tight let us know ahead of time to see if we can formulate a better strategy for you. However, once the 4th of the month has arrived, fees have already been applied, and prolonging a payment can quickly lead to an eviction, which will not help you in your current or future endeavors.
HVAC and Furnace
Installing a clean furnace filter will keep your heating costs down. Per your lease agreement, this is to be changed at least once every 6 months if you do not have a pet and every 3 months if you do have a pet inside the home.
Smoke Detectors and Home Safety
Check the smoke detectors and replace any batteries as needed. There should be one working smoke detector per floor in your house. Please let us know if there is not or if you have a detector that is not working because of something other than a dead battery. El Dorado Houses for Rent wants all our tenants to be safely renting!
Home Improvements
Do not do what you perceive as improvements to the rental property without advance notice to property management and full approval. The owner of the home may not want the property updated for many reasons. Additionally, if the rental needs to be changed back after you move out, this will cost you unnecessarily. In some cases, the property management company may perform the work for you.
Seasonal Proactive Measures
Remove all garden hoses from exterior spigots. Not doing so can cause plumbing lines to freeze and may damage your water hose(s). Tenant agrees to take due precaution against freezing water or waste pipes and stoppage of same in and about said premises. This includes but is not limited to disconnecting all garden hoses from outdoor faucets prior to freezing weather and opening cabinets under fixtures that are adjacent to outside walls to allow warm air circulation near water and waste pipes. If water or waste pipes are frozen Tenant will notify Landlord immediately and in writing. If Tenant did not take due precaution to prevent the freezing or fails to notify Landlord of the problem in a timely manner, the tenant will be held liable for all damage caused thereby.”
Drain Cleaning Products
The tenant agrees not to use caustic drain cleaning chemicals in any of the drains or plumbing fixtures. Such products may cause damage to the plumbing system and may be hazardous to the environment. Tenant may be able to keep drains clean and clear with regular maintenance by pouring down the drain a quarter cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar. If there is a minor clog in the p-trap (the curved portion) of the pipe under the sink, the Tenant may disconnect the pipe, clear the pipe manually, and reconnect the pipe to clear the clog or may call Landlord for assistance.
New pets
Please contact us if you get a new pet. New pets may require an additional deposit, additional cost in rent, or even not be allowed. Not contacting us about the animal may result in eviction or complete forfeiture of your deposit.
New Tenants
All renters and inhabitants of your leased property should be on the rental agreement. This prevents squatting rights, unnecessary conflict inside the home, and allows us to know who we are renting to. Not notifying us can lead to forfeiture of your deposit or other unnecessary complications when renting a home.
Renters insurance
Renters insurance is required in many states, but not the state of Kansas. However, this does not mean that some property management companies do not require it. While El Dorado Houses for Rent does not require renter’s insurance, it is, without a doubt, highly recommended.
Yard & Lawncare
Yard work is something that some tenants just have no interest in doing. Therefore, you will have to find a lawn care company to manage your yard. Mowing the lawn takes time, but also carries some level of maintenance for the mower. Please let us know if lawncare is not in the equation for you, and we will see if we can arrange a service for your family’s home.
If you are looking for a home, house, townhome, or apartment rental and are unsure if the costs or level of care is right for you, call El Dorado Houses for Rent property management today to find out more.
