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Keep Your Home Safe While on Vacation

January 23, 2019

Throughout this article we’re going to go over some of the best tips we’ve found on how to keep your home safe when on vacation. The last thing you want to worry about while sitting on a beach is weather (haha) or not your belongings are safe.

Keep an eye

One of the most logical things to do would be to ask a friend/neighbor to watch your home while you are enjoying some fun in the sun. Providing that person with a key also allows them to bring in your mail. “If you don’t have a garage, you may also want to give this person a key to your car – you never know when your vehicle may need to be moved” (Costello, 2018)

Vacation at last

In today’s world of social media, it’s easy to forget how much information you’re giving to people. Telling all your social media followers about this great vacation you’re planning is great until one of them decides to take that as an invitation to practice their breaking and entering skills. If you’re set on posting about your vacation make sure you mention how nice it was for Aunt Muriel to come and housesit while you’re gone (or Uncle Les, or whichever fake relative you want to use). Also, be careful about the message you leave on your voicemail whether a landline or cell, as you do not want to perk up any mischievous ears.

Police Contact

For added security and peace of mind you can also alert your local police department that you will be gone for an extended period of time. They may or may not take an occasional cruise past your residence to see if anything appears out of the ordinary. Smaller municipalities would probably be willing to do this versus larger metropolitan areas. If you’re renting you should also always let your landlord know that you’re going to be out of town. If your landlords are like us here at Day Property Management LLC, we’ll make a point of driving by more often to make sure that everything looks good.

Blinds and Curtains

To open or to close – that is the question. Open window treatments are an invitation for prying eyes but closed treatments prevent people that want to assist you with keeping your home safe. The best solution is to leave them exactly the way you normally leave them. So as to not alert undesirables from noticing the changes. If you are having someone stop by to bring your mail in or just check on the house every day (or every few days) you could have them alternate the blinds occasionally as well. However, make sure not to leave any jewelry or valuables in clear view. No reason to tempt the local troublemakers.

That’s A Bright Idea

Lighting is yet another way of making your home look lived in. Buying an inexpensive timer and have your lights go and off with your normal routine can make a huge difference. You don’t want to jack up all your energy bills by leaving the lights on all night, plus lights on all night gives the appearance of something just not right.

Mail and Other Deliveries

This should go without saying but stopping your mail delivery is one of the most important things you can do. This helps to avoid someone seeing that you are not home. Accumulated mail is a sure sign you are gone. Any other package deliveries or newspapers should be put on hold as well. Unless you have someone set up to pick them up for you right away.

Freezing Pipes

Not so much a security issue as a major problem if you live in a colder climate. Make sure you set your thermostat to a reasonable temperature that will not allow your pipes to freeze. We usually suggest keeping the temperature at a minimum of 50-55 degrees. Wrapping your pipes with heat tape is another smart way to avoid this issue. This is also a smart reason to leave a key with someone trusted. If there are any problems with your pipes it can be caught early.

Unplug Your Life

Unplugging your electronics is the safest way to protect them from power surges and outages. It will also save you a few bucks from not using the electricity it takes to run these items.

Last but….

Not least is to remove the spare key that you have hidden above the door or in the fake rock on the porch. Someone casing your home is going to look for a spare key in all the normal places.

Take these steps to avoid a potential thief from entering your home and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with not having to worry about this stuff while you are enjoying your vacation.

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SHOULD I RENT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY?

February 19, 2019

As a landlord or property manager, you often get friends who think the available property you have would be perfect for them, or for their family members. This sounds like an ideal situation, you get someone you know you can trust who would never do anything to mess up your relationship. Until they do. Here at Day Property Management LLC, we have seen some great situations with renting to friends. However, the scales definitely tilt in the direction of disaster. Here are some of the top reasons to avoid renting to friends or family! BLURRED LINES When you’re someone’s friend, their problems are things that you care about. Their child is sick, or they lose their job, you want to support them. When you’re someone’s landlord, you are depending on the income from the rental property to support yourself and your own bills. If you rent to a friend or family member, you create blurred lines that can be devastating. In the above-mentioned situation, as their friend you could offer them your support, emotionally, physically and monetarily. When you become their landlord, you have the option of still offering the same support, but you do so knowing that you’re affecting your income as well. You could offer them a break on the rent or let them pay late, but that means you have to try and get the money to cover your costs in addition to helping them out. This can also lead into our second reason to avoid renting to friends and family, Entitlement and Expectations. Another aspect of the blurred lines are that the family/friends may not want to be a bother to you. They might have maintenance issues or problems at the property that they don’t want to bother you with. Things that could negatively affect the property in the long term. ENTITLEMENT AND EXPECTATIONS “Expectation is the root of all heartache” -Shakespeare When you’ve been friends with someone for a long time, there are certain things people come to expect.

Winterizing How tenants and landlords need to work together

December 21, 2018

When winter arrives, there isn’t much you can do outside. You’ve finished all the yard work and winterizing of the yard equipment If property owners and tenants work together, winterizing the inside of the property can be a breeze. First of all, tenants need to know what they need to do and what tasks are on the landlord’s list. According to the Wisconsin way, a landlord is responsible to keep a property temperature above 67 degrees. This means the furnace needs to be in working order. Depending on your lease, a landlord may provide salt for the sidewalks and driveways and possibly provide snow removal equipment, such as a shovel. However, a property owner must maintain the safety of the rental unit. Keeping sidewalks and driveways clear from ice is a safety issue. Insulating any outside pipes can keep them from bursting when the temperature gets below 20 degrees. Making sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working is always a concern for property owners. With less traffic in an out of a house during the winter, and adding weatherproofing to windows and doors, air does not circulate as much as it does during other seasons. The law does not require landlords to winterize the inside of the home. Some things tenants can do to make the inside comfortable and safe during the winter. Put plastic on the windows This adds a barrier against heat loss, keeping the cold air out and warm air in. There are many kinds available at home improvement stores.

Should landlords allow tenants to decorate?

December 14, 2018

When you move into a new apartment there’s always an urge to add your personality to the monochromatic environment. As property owners we understand. As rental business professionals, there’re risks involved when tenants want to decorate. Should landlords allow tenants to decorate? If so, what should property management companies allow? Are there any temporary decorating ideas a tenant could use that are inexpensive and safe for the property? Why property management companies shy away from letting tenants decorate, or make permanent changes. Have you lived in a rental property and you thought, “Oh, it would be nice if I had a shelf in the living room to display my decorations.” So, you get the shelf, you find a drill and screws and set to drilling holes only to find you didn’t hit a wall stud and the screw went straight through the drywall. So, you pull it out and try again. The same thing happens. You think the third times a charm and give it a go. Voila, you hit a stud, at least on one side. So, you try the other and you get lucky. You can now hang your shelf. After the shelf is in place, you take a step back to admire your handy work and you see holes. Small screw holes all around your shelf. This is the main concern landlords have when tenants take it upon themselves to make improvements. By not having the knowledge to do the job once, small mistakes are going to happen which could lead to bigger repairs. In our shelf example, when that tenant moves, the painter fills the holes and paints over the area, leaving a blotchy look rather than smooth walls. And this is for a minor decoration. Most property owners allow non-permanent changes with a clause in the lease for remediation. Your lease will probably say you can or can’t make property changes. But, if you do, you need to change it back to its original condition when you moved in. Meaning if you paint the bedrooms blue, red, pink or orange and it started as a white room, you need to paint it white before you move. This is remediation. You may be thinking, “Well landlords have to paint anyway so why would it matter?” It matters because the wear and tear clause in your lease covers normal use. There is no need to paint a room a different color. As a result, this is an extra expense the tenant will have to pay for out of their security deposit. So what are some ways a tenant can safely decorate and still be in lease compliance?