The landlord’s responsibilities are continuous. They do not stop when the tenant moves in and, it still does not stop after the tenant moves out. It is a landlord’s job to maintain the property clean and safe for the tenants.

To do this, the landlord must follow a series of tasks that will ensure tenant safety. Let us elaborate on what these responsibilities and tasks are to guide you.

Building Safety

The first thing to do is to check if your building or unit is safe. Before a tenant moves in, the landlord should be able to say that the place is livable. Some standards will determine this and this usually follows building codes.

A safe building should have a stable structure, including the roof and floorings. Working locks should be available on the windows and doors, and the stairwells should have handrails.

Conducting fire, plumbing, and electrical inspections are the main steps to take to ensure a property’s safety. For example, a fire inspection should be able to identify if the required number of smoke detectors were met, and if they are all functioning.

Maintenance of common areas

Common areas are usually found in apartment buildings and multi-family rental properties. The use of these areas is shared among the tenants. Examples of these are swimming pools, entertainment rooms, and playgrounds. It is important to keep these places safe because a lot of your tenants will use these amenities.

Providing important services

The landlord must provide the basic services needed by the tenants. I’m talking about providing electricity, building heaters, and other utilities. If the tenants pay their bills, make sure to remind them to make their payments on time if they want these services to continue.

These services can be mentioned when you create property listings at Padleads. It will attract a lot of applicants if they know what you have to offer.

Water supply

Having access to a water supply is a basic need. Therefore, you must always make sure that your tenants have it. Broken pipes and plumbing should be fixed immediately.

Trash bins

Having a clean property not only keeps it neat and pleasant, but it also keeps it safe. Food scraps and other trash can attract rodents and bugs that may harm your tenants. You might have to take the blame if this happened because it would not have occurred if the area was free of garbage. There are required sizes and number of trash bins and you should abide by it.

How much time does a landlord have to fix everything?

You are expected to address an issue as soon as a report has been filed. You have to set a target timeframe to do this. The severity of the damage will also serve as a basis as to how much time it would take to repair.

Another thing to be considered is your state laws. I have been repeatedly saying that you should be familiar with your state housing laws because they will guide you in this business. When it comes to how long a landlord should fix a problem, it will depend on where you are. Some states will allow you 30 days to address a problem while some will only give you 7 days. So always take it into account.

If the landlord is unable to finish the repair in the given time, he may owe the tenant for the damages and they will be allowed to move out of the property even before their lease ends.

Here are a few reminders when you are going to work on a problem:

• Let your tenants know that you will be going inside their homes at least 1-2 days before the date. This will only be waived in emergency cases.
• Rental payments can be put on hold until the landlord can repair the damage. This will also depend on your state laws.
• The payment for the repair may be deducted from the tenant’s monthly rent although it should not be worth more than a month’s rent.
• If the damage occurred due to the tenant’s negligence, they are obligated to pay for the cost of repair.
• With repairs and maintenance, I would advise you to investigate the main cause of the problem, the severity, and the cost of repair. 
• Prevention is still your best move.