Landlord Tips & Tricks

Most has been said here but short list below from my experience

1. Dont rent to friends or family
2. Pre-inspection pictures with tight clause that says unit must be in exact same condition when handed back.
3. Deposit and utilities deposit is a must, in some cases i do 1.5 x monthly as a deposit because tenants wreck everything and think painting and fixing doors and showers is cheap
4. I am always the cheapest unit in the complex. Sure i lose a few R100 but it makes sure I never have a unit empty. 1 month empty is more damaging than a small loss each month
5. Keep every single slip for maintenance for tax purposes
6. I incentivize my tenants to pay before the 1st, so they get R200 off or so if they pay by the 28th, nothing if by the 1st and penalties if it is late. Tenants sometimes dont realize we bond the property and just expect us to be ok with getting slammed with an extra bond payment
7. I prefer renting out smaller units (2 bed max) so that it is easier to rent
8. Pre-paid electricity is easier, but you can be dishonest with sars if you dont do prepaid and claim the electricity etc. Depends how honest you are I guess
9. I do a monthly inspection on units that is mandatory. On some units or tenants this falls away to quarterly once I know them, but checking up monthly helps make sure they are keeping the place decent, reporting things like damp and you can see damages.
10. Do credit checks, employment checks and rental reference checks. Now matter how nice a tenant is if you dont get the full story you are likely to be sorry.
 
Thor said:
Is this legal?

I would tell my landlord to fck off, tbh?
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It is an agreement we make which then makes it legal and is part of the rental contract.
I normally only do this for new tenants and have it as an option in case I get complaints or issues.

I have 2 long term tenants where I only do an annual inspection which is more for me to cover general maintenance and wear and tear rather than me checking up on the unit.

I can see it from a tenants perspective, but from a landlord perspective there are some horrors that happen.
I have had a tenant decide that lighting fires on the tiles is a normal thing and having a braai inside is also ok.

Another decided that they would just randomly paint whatever they felt like on the walls and others have drilled holes in cupboards and all over the place essentially ruining things.

These things can become brutally expensive and personally I cannot afford to have a tenant wreck my house. I know there is recourse, but it is painfully difficult and a long process. You sometimes get some money back but you still have to fix the unit and try re-rent while you do that.

There is simply no way to tell how someone will treat the property, whether they have kids or not, good jobs, seem like good people, it all means absolutely nothing unfortunately.
 
syntax said:
It is an agreement we make which then makes it legal and is part of the rental contract.
I normally only do this for new tenants and have it as an option in case I get complaints or issues.

I have 2 long term tenants where I only do an annual inspection which is more for me to cover general maintenance and wear and tear rather than me checking up on the unit.
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I think it is a great approach, new tenants get the monthly check up and long loyal tenants get the annually treatment.


syntax said:
have had a tenant decide that lighting fires on the tiles is a normal thing and having a braai inside is also ok.

Another decided that they would just randomly paint whatever they felt like on the walls and others have drilled holes in cupboards and all over the place essentially ruining things.
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Lol For the indoor braai. Smokers tend to also stink up the place but what can you do about that? how did you go about resolving those incidents? Did you charge them penalties ?

syntax said:
There is simply no way to tell how someone will treat the property, whether they have kids or not, good jobs, seem like good people, it all means absolutely nothing unfortunately.
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Yeah pretty much sums it up, tenants situations also change so all that is a risk factor.
 
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Tman543 said:
I think it is a great approach, new tenats get the monthly check up and long loyal tenants get the annually treatment.



Lol For the indoor braai. Smokers tend to also stink up the place but what can you do about that? how did you go about resolving those incidents? Did you charge them penalties ?


Yeah pretty much sums it up, tenants situations also change so all that is risk factor.
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The indoor braai and actually having a fire on the lounge floor basically ruins the unit. I suspect they did it a few times. The ceiling was black, the walls are stuffed, the tiles were messed up.

Basically had to do 2 cleans, full repaint and some tile replacement. There is no way a deposit covers that unless you are doing an awful job.
 
zerocool2009 said:
Another landlord trick I learnt over the years, dont put more than 10% deposit down when buying property to (rent out). You lose that money’s re-use forever....

As in you cant use that to buy again if needed. This is a tip on buying. 10% show the bank you are coming to the party, so they will give you an ok/better rate vs no deposit
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Great advice and we took it. Was expecting banks to come back with 80% bonds but every one of them came back this week with 90% and below prime.
 
Other Pineapple Smurf said:
Great advice and we took it. Was expecting banks to come back with 80% bonds but every one of them came back this week with 90% and below prime.
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zerocool2009 said:
G

Great news ! Glad you listened ! 10% max (or in your case 20%) -> It shows the bank you are taking some risk !
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So, for my next property, if I go in at 10% deposit, I should have a good chance of securing a 2nd bond? (With the same bank)
 
Anyone with clever ideas for charging water? I have 4 tenants on one property and their cumulative water reading is more than the punitive level. Individually they all use less that that level. I have water meters on the individual flats
Eg the punitive level is 21kl
If they each use 6 kl, then I am charged a penalty for the last 3 kl

Am I allowed to divide the full charge between them, or can I only charge them at the lower rate (and carry the penalty myself)
 
SueC said:
Anyone with clever ideas for charging water? I have 4 tenants on one property and their cumulative water reading is more than the punitive level. Individually they all use less that that level. I have water meters on the individual flats
Eg the punitive level is 21kl
If they each use 6 kl, then I am charged a penalty for the last 3 kl

Am I allowed to divide the full charge between them, or can I only charge them at the lower rate (and carry the penalty myself)
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Water is cheap! So when you renew your contract, work 6kl in the rent, and say water is included.
 
Anyone have advice on how to get tenant to maintain the garden?
 
zerocool2009 said:
Hi @Priapus,

The odds are well in your favor if your qualify ! And always ask yourself this question, if it stands empty ... can I afford it ?
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Yes, if the property stands empty (10 to 15k) it would not put me in a stressful financial situation.
 
As a first rental property; what's the right property to buy? Something in a complex or rather a flat?

What sort of things should one consider, besides the "If its empty, can you afford it" rule?
 
zerocool2009 said:
I chatted the other day with 2 tenants (not renting with me). They are paying sewerage to refuse collection ! Every possible thing are carried over to them ! Sjoe, some landlords are just passing the buck !
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I only pay rates. Sewerage and refuse are tenant services, so tenant should pay!
 
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