Part 2: Are Brentwood Residents Making Unauthorized Changes to the Exterior of Your Rental Property?

One of the first things residents typically do when they move into a new rental home is adding decorative features. The desire to personalize their rental home occasionally includes the exterior of the house. A lot of Brentwood property owners have a level of expectation for their residents to take care of the landscaping— and good residents are willing to do so. They want to take pride in their home too, even if they don’t truly own the place.

However, things can go wrong when your residents want to make changes to the home’s exterior. As the owner, you might get requests from residents aiming to make changes like planting new trees or plants in the yard, making new flower beds, or transforming a corner of the yard into a vegetable garden. Other alterations to the exterior that residents may ask to include new exterior light fixtures, doors, or even changing the color of the house itself.

You may be tempted to allow them to make certain changes, particularly if they are going to pay for it themselves. However, it’s important to understand that not all changes are improvements. If the resident’s workmanship is of low quality, that could totally impact your property values and your ability to rent out the home further down the road.

If sod has been disturbed or plantings moved or changed, asking your residents to put the property back the way it was when they first arrived may not be possible. Future residents may not like taking care of a vegetable garden as much as your current residents do, and things like these are what makes potential renters opt for a property with less maintenance.

There may be restrictions and additional permissions that you must follow before changes are approved if your rental home is located within a homeowners’ association. If residents go on and make changes to the exterior of your Brentwood rental property without your permission, you should take the right next steps. But, what should you do? You could charge them for any necessary repairs and then get somebody to fix it or you can try to make your residents repair it. Nevertheless, your best option is to hire a property management company that can not only regularly monitor your properties for you but also deal with unauthorized changes as they happen.

At Real Property Management One, we know the hassle that comes from unauthorized changes to your property. We are devoted to protecting your investment, and that means making certain your residents understand what is deemed as unauthorized changes and the consequences for making them. Our property maintenance programs are designed to maximize the potential of your investment while keeping expenses low. For more information about our property management services, please contact us online or give us a call at 925-794-8339 today!