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Is Your Rental Property a Potential Hazard to Your Tenants?

Mount Prospect Tenant Looking at Mold in His Rental Home

It is essential, as a Mount Prospect property manager, that your tenants feel safe and secure in their rental home. Ensuring a tenant’s safety can lower vacancies and increase the rental property’s cash flow. However, if you don’t take extra care, some potentially dangerous conditions may arise without your knowledge. Let’s examine five of the most common household hazards that, if left unchecked, could cause serious illness or death to your tenants. To prevent your rental property from posing a hazard to your tenants, it is essential to be aware of these common household hazards and how to prevent them.

Toxic Mold

Molds develop in moist areas that contain a food source, such as cardboard or paper. Mold usually emits a musty odor, which is typically the first sign that most people notice. There are numerous varieties of mold, the majority of which are unsightly but not particularly dangerous to people. Stachybotrys, or black mold, on the other hand, can be poisonous. Respiratory distress, anaphylactic shock, and allergic reactions are all possible side effects.

Mold growth prevention in rental properties is relatively straightforward. Mold can be kept at bay by using an exhaust fan in steamy bathrooms, ventilating the home, and installing a dehumidifier in the basement. Think about teaching your tenants how to prevent mold and how to recognize its dangers. Additionally, you should regularly inspect your property for signs of mold. If you discover black mold, you must immediately contact a professional who can eliminate it safely and fix the source of the moisture that led to its growth in the first place.

Asbestos

With regard to older rental properties, asbestos poses a significant problem. But if the asbestos is kept inside of walls or other closed spaces, it is generally safe as long as it is not disturbed. Make sure your tenant is aware that they are not allowed to drill holes or make any other type of openings in the walls, not even to hammer in a nail, as long as your rental property’s walls contain asbestos. Asbestos could enter the house through even tiny cracks, leading to mesothelioma cancer.

Asbestos removal should only be performed by certified experts. In order to avoid injury and asbestos-related illnesses, you should not remove asbestos yourself or allow a tenant to do so.

Lead Poisoning

Lead is an additional highly unsafe substance that may be present in older rental homes. Prior to its prohibition in 1978, lead paint was widely used in older homes. Even if the old paint has been covered up, as homes age, paint can flake off, exposing your tenants’ children, pets, and other family members to toxic lead. In some places, lead poisoning can also be caused by old pipes.

You should have your rental property’s plumbing and water thoroughly inspected for lead to prevent lead poisoning. Additionally, if your property was constructed prior to 1978, it would be wise to have the paint tested and removed by experts who are qualified to do so safely. Painting over lead paint is a temporary workaround, but the only surefire way to ensure that your tenants are lead-safe is to completely strip the old paint from all impacted surfaces.

Fire

In the United States, house fires are an all-too-common occurrence. Furthermore, home fires can be fatal. More than 346,000 home fires occur annually on average, resulting in 2,620 civilian deaths. Cooking fires are brought on by oil and other ingredients, while laundry room fires are most often started by dryer lint. Faulty appliances, electrical problems, and lit candles left unattended are other significant causes of home fires.

You should take a number of actions to keep your rental property free from fires. First, do what you can to make sure there are no electrical problems in your rental home and have the dryer vent cleaned once a year. Second, provide working smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and other necessities while educating your tenants about fire safety. The likelihood that your rental property will catch fire can be significantly decreased by taking these easy steps.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is yet another usual household hazard. Burning wood, propane, gasoline, charcoal, and other fuels release carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas. When devices and engines that use these fuels are not adequately ventilated, carbon monoxide can accumulate in an enclosed space and cause carbon monoxide poisoning. The symptoms of mild carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, blurred vision, nausea, and confusion. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occasionally lead to fatalities or irreversible tissue damage.

Through appropriate maintenance and tenant education, carbon monoxide poisoning can be avoided. It’s vital to routinely service any fireplaces or appliances that use the fuels mentioned above. Additionally, put carbon monoxide detectors all over your rental property to warn you and your tenants of any dangers. It’s a good idea to explain to your tenants that they should never leave a car running or use a propane device in an enclosed space if your rental property has a garage or if your tenants have a propane grill or heater on the property. Basic safety education could protect your tenants from illness and even death.

 

Ensuring the health and safety of your tenants is a big burden and can be very time-consuming. Why not let the experts help? At Real Property Management Northwest Chicago Suburbs, our comprehensive property management and tenant relations programs are designed to keep both your property and your tenants safe. To ascertain more in relation to the services we offer, call us at 847-892-4040 or contact us online today!

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