Many people are concerned about the security of your rental properties. That makes sense, of course, because knowing how to secure a home you don’t live in can be far more complicated than securing your primary residence.
Whether you own multiple properties or a single vacation rental, there are simple things you can do to keep your investments protected when you’re not around to do so yourself. Here are the first 3 steps you can take to secure your residential and short-term properties:
Hiring a Property Manager
Just because you can’t personally watch over your rental properties doesn’t mean you can’t hire a property management company to take care of this for you. Working with a property management service will allow you to rest assured that your investment properties are well taken care of, even if you live thousands of miles away. You can still gain access to your rental homes and you can always review rental information, but you won’t need to worry about little tasks, like screening tenants or managing home repairs.
Installing a Security System and Upgrading your Locks
Regardless of whether you hire a property manager, you should also seriously consider all of the benefits that a home security system can provide. With most criminals breaking into homes via windows and doors, having a monitored security system installed on a rental property can be even more beneficial since these setups alert local law enforcement to potential break-ins and typically deter criminals from taking further steps to enter your home. A monitored system can also protect your property from fires and smoke, so think about having a high-quality system installed in your properties. One more upgrade you should also consider is smart locks. They offer you a variety of features, maintaining your property safe, with them you will be able to control the access to your door with your smartphone, schedule access for different people, and with some of them using your fingerprint to open the door. You can check the different smart locks we offer you Here.
Maintaining Landscaping and Lighting
You know that a well-trimmed lawn can add curb appeal to your investment properties. What you may not realize though is that the right landscaping can provide additional protection for your rental properties. For instance, keeping hedges trimmed will give would-be burglars one less spot to hide on your property, while installing ample lighting around doorways, walkways, and dark spots will deter most criminals. Since landscape maintenance can protect your home and attracting tenants, you should think about hiring a landscaping service to keep your properties in top shape and deter break-ins.
That’s it for now, please stay tuned, next week we will share the rest of the steps to maintain your Residential and Short-Term Rentals.