So you have made a decision that you will rent out your property to someone. After looking and finding out what a perfect tenant really is, you sit down and discuss the lease agreement and go over it together. While the whole process is going on, you point the fact out that there would be no smoking in your rental home, and that it is strictly prohibited. Your new tenant agrees to this term without any issues and says that he will make sure to go out of the house to smoke and he will not smoke inside the house at all. You can be very confident at this statement and agree to sign the lease. 

After a few months pass by, you get a phone call that there is an issue of a small leakage in your residence. You head over as soon as possible and when the tenant open the door to welcome you, you notice that there is an entire wall of stale smelling cigarette smoke.

Other than shaking your finger and lashing out on your tenant, what else do you do? Can you really prevent this smoking business in your rental property? 

The answer to this question is yes. You can for sure prevent your tenants from smoking inside the rental property that belongs to you. Whether you are a landlord or there is an Palm Coast property company that handles your rentals, you have a complete choice when it comes to smoking in your rental.

Always be clear about the rules and regulation regarding your property, and make sure to put them in writing.

A lease is basically a written agreement that is signed between you and your landlord or the property management company and the tenant. Anything that you want to encourage or anything that you discourage or are against when it comes to your property, the agreement of the lease is the best place to mention it.

You need to be very clear about your rules and regulations when it comes to the dos and don’ts related to such things like smoking. Unfortunately not all the tenants that you have will follow these rules and abide by them. So you really need to make sure that you mention all the consequences for breaking any of the rules as well. For instance if the tenant breaks a rules, he is responsible for cleaning up expenses. Without any further arguments, the tenant will be charged for the lingering stains, odor or any other damage that has been caused by smoking. While there are many other landlord who terminate the lease and get rid of the tenants. However you choosing to handle these situations, make sure that all the penalties are clearly stated by you.

When the agreement is signed with your future tenant, make this thing sure that you or your Palm Coast property manager goes through the lease page very thoroughly making sure that the tenant understands the rules and regulations fully when it comes to the regards of smoking and property potential consequences. Always remember that you have a choice when you will be renting out your property. If you have an agreement that is written and signed, it will be a lot easier to enforce it.

How will you know that the tenant living in your property is smoking?

Many of the tenants while renting a property assume that they will never expect to see their landlord or property manager unless there is an issue with the maintenance. As you are the landlord, you can inspect your property occasionally whenever you want to, to keep a check. Making sure that your property is in a working order and maintained properly.

While you will be checking the condition of your property, or taking any preventive measures for the up keeping, you may utilize this as an opportunity to check any signs of smoking or other damage to the property. You really do not have to see the tenant smoking in person to determine whether it is happening in your house or not.

Tenants do not want to be caught at all doing something they know could cause them issues with their place of residence. If a landlord is known for making irregular inspection visits, it is likely to be very helpful in discouraging the tenant from smoking in your Palm Coast property rental.

Always know what your rights are

If a property is taken care of by the Palm Coast property management team, it is made sure that it is taken care of properly and it is also easier to understand the rights and regulations. The rights of a smoker are not really protected by the state at all. In fact after knowing about so many health hazards when it comes to smoking and breathing, the secondhand smoke chooses not to rent an apartment to that person who smokes or prohibit the act of smoking in a property that is rented. In fact there are a lot of areas where the trend of non-smoking properties is being adopted.

 If you’d like to talk more about the value of inspections, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty.

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