Landlord Responsibilities and Expectations for Lawn Maintenance

The summer months are ahead of us and now is the time that nature is really taking a toll on our lawns.  Most property management companies and property owners take the duty of maintaining their lawns seriously.  Having a presentable lawn brings substantial value to your property.  Some landlords also shift the responsibility to their tenants but most of the time it doesn't benefit the parties involved.  Since this is mostly the case, here is our suggestions in maintaining your lawns during the summer month.

Why tenants should not be responsible for lawn care
Sometimes owners and property management companies decide that it would be advantageous to have their tenants upkeep the lawns of their properties.   The customary agreement would be the landlord would reduce the amount of the rent by having the tenant take care of the lawn.  The reason some landlords decide to this is the time involved.  If you are a landlord with multiple properties it is time consuming to schedule with your tenant and having the work done.  Whether it be performed by yourself or using a lawn maintenance company there is a benefit, in theory in shifting the resources towards the tenant.
The problem in this situation is tenants sometimes neglect their responsibilities or do not perform the job that is expected.  Landlords should always have in writing what the expectations of lawn maintenance is for the tenants.  This is normally done as an addendum to the lease.  Whether it be just mowing the grass or the additional effort of removing tree limbs, weeds and using pesticides all of these issues should be addressed in an agreement.  The failure to do so will result in you having to do the work yourself or hiring someone, costing you additional monies.  Plus the added confrontation with the tenant is not beneficial to anyone involved.

Landlords responsible for lawn care
Without an agreement otherwise, the landlord or property management company is normally responsible for the maintenance of the property's lawn.  Although it may increase the cost to the tenant, the benefits to the owner far outweigh the added rent.

By taking on the responsibility of the lawn care, the landlord is in total control of the look and expectations surrounding the exterior.  In most instances, landlords in this situation find it advantageous to hire a professional lawn care provider.  By doing so, you now have the advice of professionals who understand what is needed as having their expertise and tools to handle any issue that might arise. The added benefit of fertilizing and reseeding when necessary is another great benefit of using a professional outfit.  Partnering with a company will certainly save a landlord time and in some instances money.  This is especially true if you have multiple real estate investments in New York City.

What is the right fit for you?
At the end of the day it does come to how comfortable you are with your tenants and the level of service you will receive.  In our experience, it advantageous to use experienced professionals to do the job.  No one wants to inspect their property and see dead dried out grass or overgrown weeds.   If you decide not to, remember always have it in writing what you are expecting!

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/landlord-responsibilities-and-expectations-for-lawn-maintenance/

Advantages Of Being a Pet-Friendly Landlord

For many landlords and property management companies in New York City, the decision in allowing pets is a tough one.  Some of the decisions for not allowing pets involve noise complaints (dogs barking) or damage to the property (damage to walls, floors, carpeting etc.).  As a result of not allowing pets, it is being reported by a nationwide study that landlords are decreasing their chances of increasing their overall profitability of their investment. The study which was conducted by Firepaw, a not for profit organization that promotes animal welfare through research found that owners of properties that are pet friendly towards their renters will see an increase in revenue overall.  The study found that pet owners are reluctant to give away their pets and will pay a premium in order to keep them.  Also, renters are deciding to keep their pets more than ever as the amount of pet owning renters has increased to 75% from a low of 43% in 2012.

The study indicated that there is a rental premium between housing accepting animals and those that do not between 20-30%.  Another aspect was turnover was less with tenants will pets.  The study showed that tenants significantly longer in pet-friendly unit.  The report indicated according to the survey that tenants would stay an average of 46 months in pet-friendly environment in comparison to 18 months in prohibited units.  Other factors that are considered when deciding on having a pet-friendly building would be having more applications for units, lower vacancy rates and less amount of money for the marketing of units due to increased demand.

The Firepaw study indicates that the damage resulting from pet is actually a lot less than perceived.  The study showed indicates that 85% of landlords permitting pets reported having some amount of pet-related damage at some time.  However. the damage was normally covered by the pet deposit.  The study found that the difference between damage for non-pet owners to pet owners was less than $40 overall, with an average for $323 in damage for tenants without pets and average of $362 for tenants with pets.

With rents being of significance in the New York City region and razor thin margins for profitability many property managers and landlords worry about the damage that can occur from having pets on their investment properties.  Increased insurance charges and liability for dog bites are also concerns.  Most of the concerns can be addressed by the premium rents received from tenants who are in need of pet-friendly housing.  Also by addressing your concerns by picking up a deposit for pets should offset any damage to the property at the time of the turnover.  For most landlords and NYC property management companies it only looks like a win to allow pets in their properties.

If you are looking for property management services in the New York City area, Blue Harbour Property Management may be the company that will best fit your needs.  Whether you have a 1 bedroom condo or a multi-unit high rise apartment building, we can assist you in maximizing your expectations.  We are a full service NYC commercial and residential property management company servicing the areas of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/advantages-pet-friendly-landlord/

City Council Passes Bill Providing Legal Representation to Tenants Facing Eviction

On July 20th, the New York City Council passed a bill that would require all tenants facing eviction to have legal representation.  The bill requires that the Civil Justice coordinator implement the bill within five years.  Low-income individuals with eviction cases in housing court would have full legal representation while all other tenants not qualified would receive brief legal assistance.  Low-income individuals are New Yorkers with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line – or $49,200 annually for a family of four.

The program is expected to help more than 400,000 New Yorkers each year, according to a report by commissioned by the New York City Bar Association.  According to the City's Indpendent Budget Office the full cost of implementing the Right to Counsel is estimated to be $155 million.  The City believes it will save $320 million.  The savings would come from the reduction of costs associated with housing evicted individuals and preserving regulated apartments lost to evictions

Intro 214-B was sponsored by Council Members Mark Levine and Vanessa Gibson.  Mr. Levine stated “Too many of the most vulnerable New Yorkers face eviction simply because they don’t have the means to hire an attorney. Today, the passage of this bill marks the beginning of a new era for tenants in New York City. New Yorkers have a right to affordable housing and to a fair justice system. No longer will low-income tenants have to fend for themselves in Housing Court. This new law is an historic step forward in the fight against unlawful evictions. I am honored to stand alongside my colleagues as New York becomes the first city in the country to guarantee legal representation for low-income tenants in Housing Court, and I look forward to working with elected officials across the country to draft similar legislation.”  The City Council states that as of 2013 landlords were represented 99% of the time in court while tenants were represented only 1%.  By 2015 tenant representation was up to 20% according to Mr. Levine while having legal representation reduces the chances of eviction by 77%.

 Co-sponsor of the bill Vanessa Gibson stated “This is a monumental day for tenants and a historic day for the City of New York. After four years of advocating, rallying, and marching, we can finally celebrate the passage of ground breaking legislation that will curb the homelessness epidemic and end the cycle of eviction plaguing New York City. With a right to counsel in place, tenants facing eviction will finally be on an even playing field with the landlords taking them to court. I am proud to have spent four years fighting for this critically important legislation and am so thankful to the many elected officials, advocates, tenant leaders, clergy leaders, and civil legal service providers who joined Council Member Mark Levine and me in bringing equity and justice to our housing court system.”

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/city-council-passes-bill-providing-legal-representation-tenants-facing-eviction/

Maintaining Efficient Rent Collection Methods for NYC Property Management Companies

When you own New York City investment property whose main income is the rental revenues, your objective is maximizing the rent you collect, not only by the amount but the time frame of collecting it. The most convenient and hassle free occurrence is if all tenants paid their rent on time and it would clear in a flash.  The truth of the matter is that no matter how well you try, this rarely occurs the way you would like.  Although background screenings including the disclosure of  financial documents and reviewing landlord/tenant issues with the court may prevent the majority of bad tenants, sometimes tenants fall into unexpected financial situations which will affect your bottom line.  It also means that you will not be collecting your rent in a timely fashion.  This is why landlords should choose a property management company that will assist in maintaining regular flows of payments even in the worst of circumstances

Communicate with tenants your expectations on payment

There are two things that a successful property management company should do to ensure that rent collection is optimized.  The first is that Blue Harbour Property Management has had success starting with the careful screening of your potential tenants.  We use all of our resources to get a financial background of the prospective tenant.  We ask for financial documents as well as look at the court records to see if there have been any previous issues with the individuals with collecting rent and actions being brought against that person.
When there is vacancy whether it be in a single-family home or in a 100-unit apartment complex, some would try to cut corners and rent your property as quickly as possible and not be as diligent as you should be with your tenant choices. The staff at Blue Harbour Property Management as well as the realtors associated with us are extremely cautious and patient.  We do our research and provide the right information such as looking at the FICO credit score of the prospect and see whether their income is sufficient enough to be able to pay the rent regularly.
Once the tenant is decided on, we explain to them what our expectations are with respect to rent delivery and documents are provided to them at the lease signing on where and/or how rent can be submitted.

Online Payment Process

More and more we are seeing property management companies allowing tenants to pay through an online portal.  Blue Harbour Property Management allows the majority of our tenants to pay their rent via our website.  This is now becoming a convenient way for tenants to make payments without any delays.  When the rent is collected the system automatically deposits the money into the owner’s bank account for use. By having the process become an automated one instead of personal allows us to have a better relationship with our tenants.  It also allows our staff to conveniently know when payments are made and whether any collections actions should be brought against the tenants.  Time is of the essence with rent payments and we are ahead of the curve with respect to making sure prompt attention is given to receipt of rents and curing any issues with respect to non-payment.

Clear rent policies along with a secure technology platform through Blue Harbour Property Management will help your New York City rental property rent collecting run efficiently.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/maintaining-efficient-rent-collection-methods-nyc-property-management-companies/

City Council Likely Will Change Heating Requirements for NYC Landlords

In a move that will definitely affect NYC property managers and landlords in the colder months of the year, the city council will vote tomorrow on proposed new legislation would require indoor temperatures be at least 62 degrees between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Presently the law calls for between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, at nighttime between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, if the temperature outside falls below 40 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
It is being reported by Crain's  that a committee passed the bill which was similar to a failed proposal sent to committee in 2015.  The means the measure is likely to be approved by the full council tomorrow.  There is no indication that there will be an increase in the fines for the non-compliance of the proposed law.  Presently the fines are as follows:

• $250-$500 dollars per day for each initial heat or hot water violation
• $500-$1,000 per day for each subsequent violation at the same building during the same and/or the next calendar year from the initial violation or, during the same and/or the next heat season

If the owner fails to pay the Court ordered civil penalties, HPD will enter a judgment against the owner and the property and seek to enforce that judgment.

Proponents of the new legislation indicates that it will enhance the well-being of  tenants, particularly. As noted in the report, "Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer added that boosting the nighttime minimum will bring New York City in line with Boston and Chicago, cities that often endure frigid winters on par with the Big Apple. The proposed bill would also get rid of the requirement that landlords only need to heat buildings when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees, meaning the nighttime minimum would apply throughout the October 1 through May 31 heating season."

Opponents of the bill include environmental groups which state that increasing temperature will increase carbon emissions.  Mayor de Blasio has pushed to reduced emissions by 80% over the next three decades.  Property management companies in New York City as well as landlords should be aware of the changes and adjust accordingly based on the additional resources to be used based on the changes.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/city-council-likely-will-change-heat-requirements-landlords/