General Tips

1. Post a “dos and don’ts” list next to the active door. 


2. Attach a permanent sign to the deck, “No more than xx people on the deck.  Use at your own risk.”


3. If a plumber must be called for a frozen pipe repair, make sure they insulate or get heat to the site of the repair before the next freeze.


4. Attach a lock box outside with an extra house key for when they lock themselves out.  Make sure they put it back after use.


5. When students move out, inventory the kitchen.  More likely than not you will need to replace sets of pots and pans, glasses, dishes, etc.  See attached for cost effective recommendations.


6. Schedule a heating system inspection every Fall.


7. If you have hot water piping for heating, have antifreeze put in the pipes every few years.


8. Make sure controls such as circuit breaker boxes and water shutoffs are not behind locked doors like an owner’s closet, unused bedroom or the garage.

Indoor Tips

1. Use semigloss paint throughout the house.  Not the prettiest, but it’s easier to clean marks and scuffs, and usually won’t be pulled off with tape.


2. When painting bathrooms or dampness prone rooms use mildewcide paint or mix a mildewcide additive with the paint.  We offer free bottles of additive to our clients who need them.


3. Make sure the bathroom fan goes on when the light is switched on as opposed to a separate fan only switch which might not be used every time.  An electrician can make this modification for you.


4. If water is leaking into the room below the bathroom, check the caulking around the tub or shower before looking for a leaking pipe.  More often than not, we have found that water on the floor is seeping through old caulking rather than there being a plumbing problem.


5. Leave a healthy supply of cleaners, soaps, brooms, sponges, shovels sidewalk salt, and a vacuum.  You can only hope they will use them, but you can almost certainly be assured they won’t go out and buy them.


6. Keep an extra set of room keys in the house for all those times they lock themselves out of their rooms.  Keep them in the kitchen or perhaps on the sill above the door.


7. Do enable them to lock their bedrooms.  A very disappointing number of things are stolen by guests.  


8. Replace smoke and CO alarms every five years.  You can remember by doing it every year devisable by five.

Info About Renters Tips

1. Do not leave repairs uncorrected.  We have found that it sends a message to renters that damage is acceptable and tends to lead to the need for more repairs.


2. If your renters or neighbors are driving or parking on the lawn, install corral fencing to stop them.  They are cheap, easy to install and improve the looks of the place because they delineate the lines of your property.


3. Leave signs around the house informing renters of how to deal with particular problems.  For example, “The water shut off is under the stairs behind the small door.” “If the toilet fills with water, do not flush a second time.”  “Don’t turn off the thermostat if you are leaving the house for more than a few hours.”


4. Communicate frequently with student renters.  Email the same messages to the parents.   You will be amazed at how this will reinforce your instructions.


5. During the last three years, Rhode Island has experienced several periods of single digit freezes resulting in frozen and burst pipes.  Make sure your renters know where the main water shut off is in case of an emergency.


6. Have a clause in the lease stating that if, upon inspection you find the house in need of a cleaning, you can have it cleaned at the renter’s expense.


7. Also, in the lease, no party rentals!  There’s nothing like finding a bouncy house in your side yard for someone’s birthday.