April 16th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

As a landlord, it’s always good to give your tenants some space. However, sometimes going the extra mile to help them look after your property is a good idea. It’ll help your tenants feel safe, and trust that they’re in the right place living under your roof. When they eventually move out, not only will your property look appealing and inviting to prospective tenants, but positive word of mouth will get around. This will really help you stand out from the crowd! Being a landlord can be a thankless task at times – we have several working in our office, so we know – but follow our 5 easy tips below and your tenants will definitely appreciate it!

1. Inspect the Roof Regularly

After a spell of bad weather, it’s always a good idea to take a look at the outside of your property to make sure it isn’t damaged. Even if your tenants haven’t reported anything you should still check to make sure there’s no damage to the roof that they’ve missed. This is especially important if your property has a garage, shed or greenhouse! It’s always best to catch minor damage to roofs as early as possible as that loose tile or small hole can suddenly worsen and get a lot more serious (and expensive!). Patch up that damage with some high-quality sealant until you can get someone to fix it properly.

2. Don’t Leave Raking the Lawn

Don't leave those leaves - rake them away! You want your property to look nice all year round – you never know when a prospective tenant will be walking by and you want it to catch their eye! If your garden has a lawn, making sure it’s clear of leaves should be high priority. Leaves that are left on a lawn will eventually compost and attract pests. If you haven’t agreed with your tenants that they should rake the lawn, you should pop round every so often in those autumn months and stay on top of it.

3. Artificial Turf

Pro-Kleen Artificial Grass Cleaner If you don’t have time for a lot of lawn maintenance, consider getting artificial turf for a stress-free lawn. Once it’s settled, you’ll never have to worry about whether you or your tenants mow the lawn, keep it free from diseases, or cover it in winter. Once the artificial turf has settled you’ll barely need to worry about it, although do bear in mind that while artificial grass is low maintenance, it’s not no maintenance! Cleaning your artificial lawn with some quality artificial grass cleaner will keep it odour-free, even if your tenants have pets.

4. Energy Efficient Heating

Quality heaters can keep your tenants warm for less Making sure you have the lowest electricity bills possible will really help your property stand out to prospective tenants. Giving your house the most efficient heating products will save you and your tenants a lot of money in the long run. It goes without saying that you should look at the best insulation and double glazing you can afford to make your property as attractive as possible. Having a modern electric panel heater will also not go unnoticed by your tenants during the winter months. Make sure your heaters have thermostats, door open detection or smart controls to make the very most of the electricity they use (any new heater manufactured after 2018 has to have at least one of these by law anyway – click HERE for more info). You can also look into electric blankets to store at your property, ready to be dug out and snuggled into during a cold snap! Electric blankets can be a nice, unexpected touch that your tenants will love to have around the house.

5. Patio Cleaning

Keep patios and hard surfaces free of moss and algae to keep your exterior looking clean and inviting! Not only is the moss, mould and algae that grows on hard surfaces unsightly, it can present a real slip hazard. Make sure to check on your patio, decking or paving periodically to get rid of the gunk that likes to grow on it. Ideally, you should use a product that cleans the moss away and prevents it from coming back to cut down on your maintenance, meaning a bottle of Simply Spray and Walk Away is a great value hard surface cleaner to keep around the house. It’s simple enough that you can easily show your tenants how to use it if you like, or you can pop round yourself and clean for them in a matter of minutes.