Protect your empty rental property in 7 steps

Protect your empty rental property

Are you between tenants at your Middle Tennessee investment property? There are several things you can do to help protect your empty rental property. Just locking the doors does not keep squatters, scammers, vandals or burglars away. Nationwide, there are at least 2.5+ million home break-ins per year and this translates to a home burglary every 13 seconds. Even if unfurnished, vacant properties are susceptible from theft on the exterior of the home or break-ins that can result in expensive damages. And unfortunately, as the region grows rapidly, crime in the Murfreesboro area is on the increase.

RPM Rental Solutions, the Murfreesboro property management leader, offers 7 steps you can take to protect your empty rental property.

1. Unplug the Garage Door Opener – Garage doors are one of the easiest methods for burglars to enter a home. Between accessing through a window, stealing a garage remote or other methods of opening the door, burglars often target the vulnerable garage door first. Unplug the garage door before you leave, don’t leave garage door openers in a car outside, and deadbolt the door that enters the house.
2. Add a Security System – Security systems are getting more affordable with greater variety of options. Even simple motion detector lights and motion activated cameras can make a difference in more protection for a vacant home. Plus, adding a security system can give you a discount on insurance.
3. Don’t Leave a Spare Key Outside – Leaving a spare key in obvious places such as under the welcome mat, in the light fixture, or taped to the window, is an invitation for someone to have access to your rental property who shouldn’t.
4. Hold the Mail – Your vacant property may only be receiving junk mail, but if it piles up, it’s a sign that no one is around. Contact the USPS — you can just fill out the form online — and have the junk mail held.
5. Time the Lights – Indoor light timers are an inexpensive way to make it look like someone’s home. Have lights go on and off at various times.
6. Ask a Friend for Help – Getting one of your rental home’s neighbors to pull the trash cans out or just visit the house occasionally can help it look like someone is home and keep an eye on things. If you have hired a professional property management company, they will be checking in on your home as well.
7. Internet Watch – There have been many scams targeting vacant rental property, even affecting Murfreesboro property management. If you are advertising your rental property online, search for the address, especially on Craigslist, and see if it ever shows up with someone else’s phone number. Often scammers will copy everything from your own ad and relist it with their phone number. As soon as they catch a victim, they will take the listing down and disappear.

Following the above tips can help protect your empty rental property. Even better, you can talk to Murfreesboro property management company about how they can help. Give RPM Rental Solutions a call for a free consultation and learn more about our professional property management services in the Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne, and greater Nashville areas.