Rules for Tenants(duplex, fourplex)
I own a fourplex (house hacked) and am about to close on 5 duplexes. I have been wanting to make a property/tenant rule book for my property and now that I am buying the duplexes I really think it's important.
I started and quickly realized I would need help! Below is my start but hoping to get some feedback on what others have done. I know some of this is covered in lease but never hurts repeating with tenant. Thanks for the help!
Outside
No personal items should be stored outside without management approval
Trashcans should be stored behind house
Driveways should never be blocked
All automobiles should have current inspection and registration and be in working order.
No inside furniture should be used outside
No mortifications should be made to the building or landscaping without managements approval. (Paint, doors, lights, windows, fence, ect…)
No animals should be left unattended outside.
Inside
Check and Replace Smoke Alarms every 6 months
Keep candles in a sturdy holder on a level surface, away from combustible materials and out of the reach of children or pets. Blow them out before leaving the room
Notify landlord when away from unit for more than 3 days.
Keep portable heaters at least one foot away from anything that can burn (including curtains, furniture, and you)
No painting without approval from management
No smoking inside
All furniture should have wood floor protection on feet.
PS:tried searching for this and couldn't' find a thread, please just link me up if one is already out there.
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I would research and see if you can find anybody else that has written something similar online or look at the Rules & Regulations documents that most HOA's already have as a guide.
In reference to what you have written -
- No "modifications" (spelling issue)
- Might want to mention animal waste needs to be dealt with immediately
- Why check/replace smoke alarms every 6 months? Usually most people would replace a battery every 12 months but in reality most alarms tell you when they need a new battery by beeping
- Personally I don't want to be notified if they leave for 3 days
I would research and see if you can find anybody else that has written something similar online or look at the Rules & Regulations documents that most HOA's already have as a guide.
In reference to what you have written -
- No "modifications" (spelling issue)
- Might want to mention animal waste needs to be dealt with immediately
- Why check/replace smoke alarms every 6 months? Usually most people would replace a battery every 12 months but in reality most alarms tell you when they need a new battery by beeping
- Personally I don't want to be notified if they leave for 3 days
The notifying the landlord when leaving for a long weekend is really, really intrusive. It has been quite a while since I rented, but I don't remember ever seeing anything like that. If it was in one of my leases, I certainly ignored it.
You don't want the tenant checking the smoke alarm/changing the battery. You need to do it, to be sure it gets done. I have a fire prevention company test the detectors and also test/charge/replace extinguishers.
In general, the way "rules" should work is that you put reasonable rules in your lease, and then let people live their lives.
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With a shared yard you defiantly want to get out in front of the dog poo issue.
I have had tenants go to war over this.
Thank you Bill! It’s a great idea looking into HOAs.
Richard, I completely disagree with you regarding limiting your rules to the lease. In my experience most apartments have a “community rule book” that comes with the lease. The better you can communicate your expectations to the tenants up front the fewer problems you will have down the road. In regards to the letting me know when they are headed out of town, 3 days may be over kill, but if a tenant is gone for an extended period I like to turn the water off and drive by a few times to check in and make sure everything is ok. It may seem intrusive, but I am dealing with very sophisticated tenants and they have appreciated it as far as I can tell. Smoke alarms are the responsibility of the tenant after they move in. I do a walk though inspection and if one is not working I charge the tenant a trip charge and the price of the battery, the way you are going about it decreases your cash flow unnecessarily.
Thanks James! Defiantly will have some clear guide lines for them.
@Andrew Ramler, I am also in the camp about smoke alarms being the landlord's responsibility simply because if it doesn't function and there is a fire I am fairly sure the liability falls on the landlords. It sucks we have to make rounds to change AC filters, check on smoke alarms...I would love to avoid having to do it but I also know that there is no way a tenant would be care more about the property than the landlords do.
As for a rule book, I am curious is this just a rule book, or will there be any consequences if the rules are not being followed? Will you have some languages in the lease that refers the tenants to this rule book and if the rules are not being followed it is considered a violation of the lease?
For me, if it's important enough to enforce, then I will put it in the lease. If it's not important enough to enforce, and you put into a rule book, most tenants will ignore it unless it's tied to the lease in some way. I don't see any harm in having one, I tend to think it all falls under the "EXERCISE COMMON SENSE" rule, but these days common sense is very uncommon. The thing is you can go on and on and on about these rules...
Do not strike a match near the gas stove and oven.
Do not jump up and down on a bed while the ceiling fan is running.
Do not park in your neighbor's designated space.
Do transfer or retrieve your clothes from the washer and dryer promptly.
Do lock your doors when you leave.
Do not leave a burning BBQ grill unattended.
Do clean the lint screen on the dryer after use.
Do not puke directly into the community waste bin when drunk.
When your neighbor's dog drop heat on your door step, please resolve the issue with the neighbor, do not smear such dog poop over his/her door knobs.
...
...
This list can be endless though. I agree many HOAs have these lists as thick as a phone book so a good source to find them.
@Sam Leon The standard TAA lease most folks use in Texas makes reference to "community policies or rules" and the tenant agrees to abide by them. I see it as an easier way for the tenant to understand my expectations compared to reading every line on the lease. I simply think it will eliminate brain damage in the future.
I completely see what you are saying with smoke detectors, however the way I handle it still keeps them in working order but takes the time and expense off me. If I let the tenant know I am coming by for an inspection and I expect the directors to be in working order or there will be a replacement cost then it's almost always going to be done and if it's not you get paid for your time. If you take responsibility for them and there is a issue during a fire, you are more likely to be held liable, if it is clear it’s the tenant responsibility, they would be held liable. That being said, the owner should still being doing his best to assure they are working.
Not true. Functioning smoke detectors is a code issue; the landlord will be liable every time. Here, you are not even allowed to have detectors with batteries that need changing anymore; they must be hard-wired or have the long-life sealed batteries.
As for your rule book, I repeat that I cannot ever remember encountering such a thing when I was renting, but if I did, I ignored it. Nothing you listed couldn't be in a lease, and several things you list are not properly a landlords concern. People get to live their lives, even people who rent.
Some of this may be cultural, I suppose. Maybe people are more accepting of these sorts of petty intrusions in Texas (there are certainly a lot of HOAs there). In rural NH, you'd have a hell of a time finding and keeping tenants.
I know I'm just stumbling across a really old post; but the Hawaii Landlord Tenant code does dictate that the tenant must notify the landlord of extended absence. Although I think it says anything over 10 or 14 days, which is totally different than a long weekend. I do agree that requiring notification that you're going camping or something for the weekend is excessive.