Property managers must be proactive with guidelines for when your renters will celebrate holidays, birthdays, and significant life events with family and friends. Noisy parties however, bump against the grain of the neighbors. Have you thought about how to handle it if your tenants in your single family homes are a bit over the top with crowd size, loud music, alcohol consumption or even fireworks?
Whether your rental property is in Marlborough, Framingham, Milford, or Natick, these issues can all be addressed in your lease documents and through local ordinances and code. Incorporating them upfront, before there’s actually an offense, will let your new tenants know where you’re coming from; plus, it will promote peace, trust and goodwill with your neighbors, which is very important for your long-term success.
- The wording in your lease documents should explicitly limit the number of guests allowed on the property at any given time without requesting special permission from the landlord. The specific number varies, but “no more than 10 for fewer than 6 hours” is a popular option. Another important clause you can include is to comply with city noise ordinances, such as quiet times are from 10pm to 7am.
- While you can’t legally prohibit the consumption of alcohol by your residents, you can include specific language in your lease that will address illegal activities
and lays out the specific consequences of allowing such activity on your rental property. - You might also consider prohibiting a large number of vehicles parked at or near the property. All of these things may create a public nuisance, which means you can safely require your residents to agree to such terms.
- Another thing you should do is to require your residents to have their own renter’s legal liability insurance. In the event that a large party does occur on the property, the possibility of damage and injury increases considerably. If damage or injury does occur, you could be held responsible unless your resident has their own insurance coverage.
Finally, enforce, enforce, enforce. Protecting your investment property requires that you diligently enforce the terms of the lease agreement. If a party gets out of hand or are loud, frequent, or illegal activity is taking place at them, it’s important to act promptly and decisively to hold your residents accountable, and contact the proper authorities when applicable. We all know that unenforced laws get ignored by many, so nip these things in the bud and your tenants will know you mean business, and your neighbors will thank you.
The good news is that you don’t have to do all of this on your own. At Real Property Management Metro Boston, we will ensure that your lease documents include specific and binding language and that your residents comply. To learn more, contact us!
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