Property Maintenance
In Florida, residential landlords are legally obligated under Section 83.51 of the Florida Residential Landlord And Tenant Act, to maintain their rental property. And whether you realize it or not, your success as a residential landlord, is tied directly, to how well you maintain your rental property. A negligent or downright indifferent attitude, towards maintenance, can end up wreaking financial havoc on a rental property’s income and resale value. Let me put it to you this way; rational, reasonable, intelligent, mature, conscientious, gainfully employed, financially responsible, civilized adults, over the age of eighteen, aren’t exactly beating down the doors of landlords, who own rundown rental properties. And when your rental property doesn’t appeal to people like these, who just happen to be the most sought after category of tenants in Florida, you’re in deep do-do, as a landlord! So unless you aspire to join the ranks of Florida’s slumlords, who maintain their property in a haphazard manner, and end up renting to less than desirable tenants, you need to maintain your rental property, so that it:
1. Attracts good tenants.
2. Rents out faster.
3. Produces more income.
4. Appreciates in value.
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How to Verify if a Repairman or Contractor is Legitimate
In order to avoid being duped into hiring one of the numerous unlicensed and uninsured crooks, who pawn themselves off to the public, as legitimate repairmen and contractors; you must follow these eight steps, to weed out the phonies, fakes and frauds, from the honest, competent professionals:
Step #1: Require that all repairmen and contractors working on your rental property, provide you with copies of their state, county or city contractor’s license or certificate of competency, occupational or business license, workers’ compensation insurance certificate, workers’ compensation exemption certificate for sole employees, and general liability insurance certificate.
Step #2: Require that all repairmen and contractors provide four verifiable customer references.
Step #3: Contact each one of the customer references you were given, and ask them if they would hire the repairman or contractor again.
Step #4: Conduct a Florida contractors license search, to verify that the repairman or contractor is a state certified or registered contractor.
Step #5: Contact all of the insurers listed on the insurance certificates that you were given, to verify that the policies are valid and in effect.
Step #6: Contact your local city and county building departments, to check if there’s a history of complaints, against the repairman or contractor.
Step #7: Visit the Better Business Bureau, to check if there's a history of complaints against the repairman or contractor.
Step #8: Visit the Florida Attorney General’s Web site and click on the Consumer Investigations link, to check if the repairman or contractor is under investigation for fraud.
In chapter two of The Florida Landlord's Manual, you learn how to save money, while maintaining your rental property, for maximum income and resale value. You also get the inside scoop, on how to avoid getting ripped-off, by shady repairmen and contractors.