How to Budget for Rental Property Maintenance Costs in Fort Myers

In order to effectively budget for rental property maintenance costs in Fort Myers, FL, you need to know who pays for what. In some cases, the Landlord and Tenant Act will tell you what the   Property Management Fort Myers   landlord needs to pay and what the tenant is expected to pay. For other things, such as pools and lawns, you will have to decide who is responsible for costs and you’ll need to make sure your lease reflects these things.

Pest Control
The cost of pest control is one thing the Landlord and Tenant Act does address. For single family residences, the tenant will pay for pest control at the home. In an apartment building or a multi-family unit, however, the landlord will need to take care of the pest control costs.

Pool Care
If your property comes with a pool, it’s a good idea to include the pool care costs in your rental price. That way, you can have a professional pool cleaner take care of maintenance and upkeep. Having a professional handle any problems with your pool is a lot safer than leaving it to the tenant. In Florida, the heat can cause pool systems such as the motor to wear down quickly. When you have a professional pool vendor taking care of the swimming pool, you can count on easy answers and excellent service. It doesn’t have to cost you that much money because the maintenance costs are rolled into the rent.

Well System
It’s also a good idea to hire professionals to maintain your water systems. If you have a well, you want to be sure that salt levels are right. A qualified vendor can take care of any problems with the pump and troubleshoot issues you might have with your system. This is safer than holding the tenants responsible for mechanical issues that they probably don’t know much about. If a tenant tries to fix something, it could cause further damage, which is always more expensive.

Lawns
Deciding who is responsible for the lawn usually depends on your property. In a single family residence, tenants should usually be responsible for the lawn. However, if there is a lot of landscaping involved and you want your lawn to continue looking good, hire someone to take care of it. Tenants like to have their outdoor space look nice and they might be able to handle the mowing, but maintaining trees and bushes could be more work than they expected. If your property is in an HOA, it’s imperative to hire someone because your tenants’ standards might not meet those of the HOA. Grass grows quickly in the summer, especially in Florida, so there’s going to be quite a bit of work involved in keeping the lawn maintained. Hire someone to do it and include those costs in the rent. In multi-family residences, it’s standard practice for the landlord to take care of the lawn.

Choosing Vendors
You can often get a discount when you use the same vendor for a number of different things. This can help with budgeting and cost control. If you have several rental properties, use the same pool cleaner at all of them and see if you can get a volume discount.