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Part 2: Are Marina del Rey Residents Making Unauthorized Changes to the Exterior of Your Rental Property?

Young Marina Del Ray Resident Measuring the Trellis on an Outdoor PatioWhen residents move into a new rental home, what they often do first is to add decorative components. The desire to personalize their rental home occasionally concerns the exterior of the house also. Numerous Marina del Rey homeowners expect their residents to maintain the landscaping to some extent, and great residents would be more than willing. They want to feel proud of their home too, even if they don’t actually own it.

But when your residents want to perform alterations to the exterior of the property, this is where things could quickly go awry. As the owner, you might get requests from residents hoping to make changes such as putting in new trees or plants in the yard, creating new flower beds, or transforming a corner of the yard into a vegetable garden. Additional exterior changes that residents ask for may involve new exterior doors, light fixtures, or even changing the color of the house.

If the residents are willing to pay for it themselves, you might be tempted to allow them to make certain changes. On the other hand, keep in mind that not all changes are for the better. If the resident’s handiwork is low quality, it can really lessen your property values and your ability to rent the home in the future.

You can always ask them to return the property to the way it was when they initially arrived. However, if sod has been disturbed or plantings were changed or even moved, this may not be doable. Future residents may not like taking care of a vegetable garden as much as your current residents do, and it is things like these that make potential renters opt for a property with less maintenance. There may be restrictions and additional permissions that you must follow before changes are approved if your rental home is located within a homeowners’ association.

If residents go ahead and make alterations to the exterior of your Marina del Rey rental property without your approval, you will have to take the right next steps. But, what should you do? You could make them pay for any necessary repairs and then get an expert to fix it or you could try to make them fix it themselves, although the best route is to hire a property management company that can both consistently monitor your properties for you and take care of unauthorized changes as they happen.

At Real Property Management California Coast, we understand the hassles that can develop from unauthorized changes to your property. We are devoted to protecting your investment, and that means making certain your residents understand what is deemed as unauthorized changes and the consequences for making them. Our property maintenance programs are designed to maximize the potential of your investment while keeping expenses low. For more information about our property management services, please contact us online or give us a call at 310-535-2150 today!

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