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Maintenance Issues That Are a Tenant’s Responsibility

Spring Hill Tenant Changing a Lightbulb

When searching for a Spring Hill rental home, everyone wants to move into a clean and well-maintained property. But keeping a rental house that way takes effort from both you and your landlord. While your landlord has a responsibility to ascertain that the property is in a habitable condition, there are several maintenance tasks that you are anticipated to do as long as you’re a renter. Let’s take a closer look at the most familiar maintenance issues for which a renter is responsible.

Taking Out the Trash

Keeping your rental home free of trash and garbage is a renter’s most important responsibility. Leaving trash or other items around can make the property look and smell bad and invite pests and diseases. If your landlord doesn’t supply trash disposal, sign up for service as soon as you move in.

Pest Prevention

Speaking of pests, if any do find their way into your rental home, it is generally your responsibility to get rid of them. The landlord should have made sure that there were no pests on the property before you moved in. But once you live there, it’s your job to clean the place and treat infestations without delay. If an infestation gets to the point of necessitating professional extermination, make sure to contact your Spring Hill property manager. If you move out and leave pests behind, you could be financially responsible for treating the property.

Yard Maintenance

Keeping your rental property clean and tidy covers the interior and exterior of the home. Most of the time, renters are responsible for maintaining the landscaping. This also means keeping the driveway, walkway, steps, and other areas free of snow, debris, and other items. Once in a while, a landlord may offer these services to you for an additional fee. Check your lease cautiously – it needs to define your landlord’s expectations with respect to yard maintenance.

Replacing Smoke Detector Batteries and Light Bulbs

You may not notice your rental home’s smoke detectors or light bulbs until they stop working or start beeping in the middle of the night! For the most part, the renter is responsible for replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors and replacing any burned-out light bulbs while you are living in the home. However, if a smoke detector is malfunctioning, be sure to contact your landlord. When that takes place, it’s their job to replace or fix it.

Preventing Mold

Mold can grow anywhere, but prevention isn’t that challenging. As a renter, you have the responsibility to keep mold from growing in your rental home. A few quick methods to prevent mold from developing include safeguarding that your home has decent ventilation and addressing excess moisture immediately. For instance, leaving damp towels or clothing in a corner, letting a steamy bathroom sit closed off without a fan or window, or ignoring leaking plumbing can all result in mold. If mold begins to develop, clean it up right now with bleach. By taking a few simple precautions, there is a lot you can do to prevent mold in your home.

Respect the Property

As a renter, it is crucial to utilize each rental home element correctly and with respect. The appropriate usage of appliances, plumbing, electrical, and septic systems, among other things. Even though typical wear and tear happen, any damage to these items caused by improper use is almost always the renter’s responsibility. This can indicate an expensive repair bill and a very unhappy landlord, as well. You should immediately contact your landlord if you notice any repair issues that are not your responsibility. Allowing broken pipes or malfunctioning appliances to go unaddressed could turn out badly for you since small maintenance issues can quickly turn into big repairs.

 

Are you looking for a rental home that is in great condition managed by a landlord committed to keeping it that way? Look no further than Real Property Management Connection! We have an inventory of great homes in your area; view our current listings online

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