When your South Gate tenants have asked for permission to acquire a hot tub, you might be curious as to what to say to them. In this case, tenants who buy and install a hot tub usually cover all the costs and maintenance involved. However, providing a hot tub on the property may pose serious risks, several cases may end up with costly repairs, litigation, or even worst. Before allowing your residents to have a hot tub, it’s important first to understand all the risks and benefits it carries.
When your property doesn’t already have a hot tub or swimming pool, you may be unsure about agreeing to let your tenant install one. Among the two, a hot tub is far less expensive and requires far less alteration of the property. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any implications for your property. For instance, most hot tubs should be installed on a concrete pad or another platform, most of which are permanent fixtures. Though the padding might be in use while your current tenant is renting the home, what happens when they exit? Will they take the hot tub with them, or leave it behind? If they take it, are you going to be okay with an empty concrete pad sitting in your yard? All of these are questions you should ask and answer before making a decision.
At first, you might see an opportunity to allow your tenants to acquire a hot tub. Adding a hot tub to your rental property will give an attractive feature for future tenants. You may also be able to charge a higher rent merely by offering either a hot tub pad or a hot tub itself. If your tenant decides to leave the hot tub behind when they leave, you could wind up with a nice little bump in your property values.
However, there are several issues to consider, as well. Hot tubs require quite a lot of maintenance. To keep a hot tub clean and properly maintained, bear in mind to test and adjust the spa water at least twice a week. The spa filter should be cleaned once a month, and the entire spa drained, scrubbed, and refilled three or four times a year. The spa cover must be removed and aired out twice a week to prevent mold, and the water levels carefully maintained. You may assume your tenant will do all of the upkeep, but what if they don’t? A neglected hot tub could become a serious health hazard, in that situation, it is no longer just your tenant’s problem, but yours as well. If your tenant leaves the hot tub behind, the maintenance – and costs involved – are now your responsibility.
Another thing to consider carefully is the increased risk of injury or death. When used properly, hot tubs are relatively safe. But wet surfaces may result in increased slips and falls, and any tub or pool always carries the risk of drowning. Every person using the hot tub needs to be carefully supervised and must follow proper safety precautions. Trusting your tenant to do this may look like too big of a gamble since injuries from misuse could still become your legal nightmare. Moreover, several tenants may not want to have a hot tub because of these risk factors, which would constrain the number of possible applicants the next time you need to find a new tenant.
There are many reasons not to allow a hot tub on your South Gate rental property. But if you decide to allow one, at a minimum, it is essential to require a separate agreement to help you to mitigate the risks involved. If you want your tenant to remove the hot tub or the concrete pad when they move out, you must put that in writing, as well. Either way, it is important to have a detailed discussion with your tenant about their request and then communicate your decision later.
If you’re managing rental properties in South Gate and would want more insight on how to write your lease agreement, the South Gate property managers at Real Property Management Southland can help. Contact us online or call us at 562-270-17777 today.
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