Tips to Keep Your Home (and Investment) Safe

In addition to giving your tenants a place to live, you as the landlord must safeguard them against dangers including burglaries, unlawful entry, and other occurrences to keep your property rent ready.

One of your first concerns should be to increase general security with practical measures like increasing light sources, improving entry and windows security, and doing rigorous tenant screening. All of this is in order to keep your tenants and rental property safe.

Here are some practical tips that we at MN Property Nerds have put together to increase the security of your rental property.

Understand Your Security

If you review your rental property from the perspective of a burglar, you can actively prevent thefts and unauthorized entrances.

For instance, a window or skylight left exposed for ventilation purposes, an easily broken glass panel door or other weak spots on a house might make it a target for burglaries and robberies.

But spotting these vulnerabilities can be a challenge. As professionals are skilled at spotting possible vulnerabilities, it is preferable to have them examine your property. They will also be willing to recommend to you how to effectively resolve these problems to protect your investment.

Improve the Entrances

To reduce the likelihood of burglars breaking in, rental properties’ access points and exits doors must be constructed of sturdy, durable materials like steel and wood. It is not advisable to use doors with fragile glass panels.

Using a multi-point fastening mechanism, glass leaf, and steel materials all contribute to the door’s greater resistance to intrusion and damage. Deadbolt locks could also be installed on doors in addition to regular locks to render it more impossible for robbers to breach into your rental property.

It has been demonstrated that installing chain locks on the doors of each unit can serve to give renters additional security. Peepholes should be installed as well so they can see who is at their door.

Ensure That Your Property’s Windows Are Locked

If you neglect to offer enough care to protect every window, your tenants could still be in danger. Regardless of how effectively you secure the entrance points to your house. Installing functional locks on all windows, whether they are on the first or third floor, is strongly advised.

Security bars are often put in rental homes to increase tenant protection, especially on lower floors.

Maximize the Lighting

Lighting choices like motion-detecting lights installed in strategic locations can significantly deter thieves or other criminals. Garage doors, entrances, and parking lots are a few of the crucial locations.

Don’t forget to add adequate lighting both inside and outdoors of your rental home. To ensure that your tenants always feel safe, ensure that all of the stairways, lobbies, and corridors are well-lit.

Display Emergency Contact Information

In the event of an emergency, it is crucial for all tenants to have access to crucial information. As a great landlord, you should publish vital emergency numbers for your tenants, including:

• The local police department’s phone number.
• The company that is in charge of the property’s security or management.
• Your phone number in case of emergency.

These numbers can be displayed in public spaces or on doors.

Conduct a Thorough Tenant Screening

It is advisable for landlords to thoroughly vet each prospective renter before finalizing a leasing agreement. This can reduce the likelihood that your tenants will engage in unlawful activities like selling drugs, assaulting people, or robbing you of your property.

Finding out each tenant’s criminal history will help you assess if there are any dangers involved in renting to them. Always keep in mind that it is your duty as a landlord to offer other renters who may reside in other units of your rental property a secure and safe living environment.

While it is the duty of every landlord, not every owner is skilled or has the experience to carry out a comprehensive tenant screening. You can rely on the experts from MN Property Needs to implement a thorough screening process.

Bottom Line

The security and safety of your renters should be your primary responsibility as a landlord as you have a variety of duties to manage in this line of work. In addition to securing your investment, good property protection will significantly enhance the experience of your tenants.

But running a rental company on your own is not a simple undertaking. Investors should think about using the services of expert property management firms on the market if they want to make money through rental properties while simultaneously saving time and effort.