How Tenants can help with property managment

As any homeowner knows, from the moment you buy a home, it becomes a never-ending process of maintenance and repair. Rental properties are no different and, often, due to their large size and numerous occupants, they require more constant tender, love and care than single family homes. While landlords have a legal responsibility to keep their rental property in habitable condition, there are many ways tenants can help keep the property in good condition.

Legal Ways Tenants Are Required to Help With Property Maintenance

Tenants know that landlords have to keep rental property up to a certain standard.

However, many tenants may not even be aware that they themselves have legal maintenance responsibilities under landlord tenant law. Again, these can differ, but general requirements can include:

Keep Their Unit Free From Sanitary Hazards:
Tenants are required to properly dispose of their garbage and not let it pile up in their apartment as excessive trash could create a health issue.

The tenant needs to keep the unit in a reasonably clean and sanitary condition to prevent pest infestations and breathing issues.

Keep Their Unit Free From Safety Hazards:
The tenant must make sure nothing is blocking any of the emergency exits from the unit.
Prevent Mold Growth:
Tenants are responsible for preventing excess moisture from accumulating in their unit which could lead to mold growth. This could include always airing the rooms and bathroom or opening the window when showering to prevent possible mold growth.
If the tenant notices any areas of prolonged moisture or mold starting to appear, they need to report it to the landlord immediately.
Being Respectful of the Property:
Tenants are responsible for treating the property with care, maintaining a reasonable level of cleanliness and not being abusive or neglectful. This includes:

• Plumbing Fixtures: Tenants must keep all plumbing fixtures reasonably clean to prevent rust, soap scum buildup, mold or excessive dirt. All of these fixtures must also only be used for their intended purpose. For example, trash cannot be flushed down the toilet and cooking grease should not be put down the drain.

• Not Damage the Property: This includes inside the tenant’s unit, as well as in all common areas of the property. Normal wear and tear on the unit is expected, but damage, such as a cracked countertop is not.
Additional Ways Tenants Can Help With Property Maintenance
In addition to the legal responsibilities tenants have to maintain rental property, there are additional ways your tenants can help with property maintenance. These tasks can be agreed upon separately between you and your tenant. In exchange for the additional maintenance responsibility, a landlord will often offer a tenant a reduction in rent.
Maintenance in Exchange for Reduced Rent:
Depending on the amount of additional responsibility the tenant is taking on, you can negotiate to reduce the tenant’s rent by a certain amount. Since rent is usually due at the beginning of the month, instead of allowing the tenant to pay less before any work has been done for the month, you can instead offer a credit toward the next rent after the tenant has shown they have performed the agreed upon duties.
The amount by which you will reduce the rent is a number that both you and the tenant must agree to. For example, if the tenant is installing interlocks, you may feel that a rent reduction of somewhere between N80,000 and N100,000 depending on the size of the compound be agreed.

Additional Maintenance Opportunities:
1. Seasonal Maintenance: You can negotiate with your tenants to perform seasonal maintenance tasks. These usually have to do with the exterior of the property. It can be very helpful to have someone living at the property perform this task because you can be fined as a property owner if your grass is not kept at a certain level in some estate or area.
You do have to be aware that as the property owner, you are still liable for any slips and falls at the property. If the tenant does not do a good job and someone gets hurt by it, it is you, the landlord who will have to deal with a potential lawsuit.
Seasonal Maintenance Tasks Include:
• Cutting Grass
• Raking Leaves/Picking Up Branches
• Cleaning the Gutters
all within the property

2. Keep Common Areas Clean: ​​The tenant could become responsible for keeping all common areas of the property clean. This could include sweeping, vacuuming, mopping and keeping the area free from garbage or debris.

3. Report Problems Immediately: One of the best ways that tenants can help with property maintenance is to report anything that seems like a problem to you immediately. Since they are the ones who are living at the property on a day to day basis, they may be able to spot potential issues more quickly. It is better for you to check out the situation and have it be a false alarm than to discover a problem a year later when it has become a major issue.

4. Perform Repairs: You and your tenant can come to an agreement that the tenant is responsible for making minor, or even major, repairs if you feel comfortable with their them.
Illegal Maintenance Requirements
It is the landlord’s responsibility to make repairs at the rental property or to have these repairs performed. You cannot put a clause in your lease which forces a tenant to be responsible for all maintenance and repairs in the property. It is a different story if you and the tenant mutually agree that the tenant is responsible for performing certain maintenance and repairs.
If a repair is necessary due to the damage or neglect of the tenant, then yes, it is the tenant’s responsibility to have the issue fixed. The landlord can have the problem fixed and then charge the tenant or the tenant can hire someone to fix the problem themselves.