“No Showings in My (Rental) House!” Really?

No one comes into my house!

It’s a privacy issue.

It’s a security issue.

I won’t allow it!

No... No…  No, no, no!

That’s not legal!  Is it?

 

So goes a few of the responses from tenants when we begin showings for prospective renters of the house while they are still living there (typically between 30-45 days prior to their lease expiration).  And guess what?  We’ve never met a tenant who likes it.  Not one.  Nada.

 

So why do it?  There are a lot of reasons, mostly to the effect of decreasing the amount of time that the home is vacant.  Because time is money, right?

 

Is it legal?  Most certainly, yes, if any type of decent lease is being used.  It’s item #10 in ours.

 

I get it, though.  I wouldn’t want strangers walking around my house and essentially kicking me out of it when showings are scheduled.  It would be annoying.  It would be disruptive to me and my family’s life.  I wouldn’t like it!

 

But, unfortunately, tenants do not own the houses.  If owners want to show their rental properties while tenants live there, tenants should comply with their lease.  Nicely.  Because there are other parts of the lease that owners might not like complying with either.

 

I’m not paying for that.

That repair is more than my mortgage!

That doesn’t work in the house I live in and I need to pay to fix it in theirs???

My mortgage company doesn’t let me be late on my payment without serious consequences; they pay a small late fee.  Do they know this?

Why do I need to pay property taxes and HOA fees when I don’t even use the things there?

 

And so goes some of responses I’ve heard from our property management clients over the years when they see all the lease requirements of being a landlord.  When owners get a call saying the air conditioning unit at their rental property is shot and they need to pony up $6K pronto to get it fixed, they don’t like it at all.  I’ve been there.  We both want to say:

 

No... No…  No, no, no!

 

But in a lease, both parties have unpleasant responsibilities.  Like part of the above example, the lease says the landlord is responsible for making sure the major systems of the house are operable and remain operable (item #6 on our lease).

 

So for the lack of privacy/security/inconvenience for 30-45 days of prospective tenant showings (usually much less if the property looks nice for showings and times are made available when Realtors want to show it), there is a comfort in just picking up the phone when the refrigerator stops cooling and not having to pay anything or even find the vendor to use.

 

Do tenants want to trade lease responsibilities now with the owners?  Would tenants trade 30- 45 days of showings for making any needed repairs during the tenancy?  Probably not. 

 

But landlords would say: Yes… Yes… Yes, yes, yes!

 

So there are pros and cons on both sides of the rental game.   Accepting them makes a make much smoother tenancy for both parties.

 

Happy Landlording!