Owning and operating rental properties in Detroit can be a lucrative way to secure valuable monthly income for you and your family. However, this venture requires you to abide by certain responsibilities.
You also have certain rights as a landlord in Detroit. Find out what your rights and responsibilities are and how you can take care of your rental properties successfully by contacting us today at Upside Investments.
Landlord Rights
As a Detroit landlord, you have numerous rights allotted to you. These rights include:
Charging a reasonable deposit for your rental units: You have the right to charge an affordable sum for a deposit for any rental unit that you lease to tenants.
In Michigan, you can charge up to 1.5 times the monthly rent for a security deposit, including the one you charge for pets. You also have the right to expect that deposit to be paid in full before you hand over the keys to one of your rental properties to a tenant.
Requiring on-time rental payments: You additionally have the right to expect your tenants to pay their full rental amounts on time every month. As a landlord, you are effectively running a business and may rely heavily on those rental payments for the income on which you and your family live.
You may also use those rents to put back into the properties you have invested in to pay for expenses like insurance and maintenance. You have the right to stipulate on what date each month you require tenants to pay their rent and charge late fees or evict tenants who fail to abide by that set date.
Entering the premises during emergencies: You likewise have the right to enter your rental properties during emergencies, such as fire or floods. Under normal circumstances, you must provide a 24-hour written notice to your tenants of your intent to enter their rental units. However, if there is an emergency like a fire or flood, you have the right to enter immediately to address the crisis and protect you and your rental property from damages and losses.
Denying subletting: When you lease out rental properties in Detroit, you have the right to deny your tenants from subletting their units. You ultimately have the last say in who rents your units and to whom you offer a lease.
Subletting can invite in people whom you have not approved to live in your rental properties or even be on the premises legally. To protect you as a landlord and also protect your investment properties, Detroit allows you the right to deny subletting in them.
Screening tenants: Finally, Detroit gives you the right to screen tenants thoroughly before you lease to them. You have the right to know if prospective tenants are employed or have the means to pay the rent each month.
You also have the right to know if they have offenses like fraud or assault on their criminal backgrounds. You can use services like those we offer at Upside Investments to screen your tenants in Detroit.
Of course, you also have numerous responsibilities you must fulfill as a landlord in Detroit. These responsibilities include:
Paying taxes and insurance on your rental properties: You must pay property taxes on your rental properties each year and keep them insured with the mandated amount of coverage in Detroit. If you fail to meet this important responsibility, you risk having the city or state seize your properties from you for non-payment of property taxes. You may also forfeit your properties if you fail to keep them insured as required in Detroit.
Keeping properties in a safe and livable condition: As a landlord in Detroit, you also have the responsibility of keeping your rental properties safe and livable. This obligation can include investing in security patrols to minimize property crimes like car break-ins or apartment burglaries.
It can also involve hiring professional contractors to handle tasks like repairing building rooftops, hanging new siding, repairing or replacing broken appliances and fixing foundations to prevent mold growth in basement and first-floor apartments. If you fail to keep your rental units in safe and livable conditions, you could risk losing income from them. Your tenants may even have the right to stop paying rent until you improve the property conditions.
Abiding by the written terms in the lease: Additionally, as a Detroit landlord, you must abide by the written terms in the lease you sign with your tenants. You cannot add or take away term conditions on a whim.
If you have to make changes to the lease, you must provide a 15 days’ written notice to your tenants to advise them about changes to their leases. You must also provide your tenants with copies of their leases for their own records.
Following legal eviction processes: Last, you must follow the legal process in Detroit for evicting a tenant from one of your rental properties. This process involves providing written notice of why you are evicting them from the unit.
You must also serve the written notice to them and appear in court to get a judge’s order to evict a tenant from a rental property that you own. Reasons to evict tenants in Detroit can include non-payment of rent, damage to your rental property or engaging in criminal activities. You must clearly stipulate what your reason for eviction is and ensure that reason falls within the allowed category of offenses for evicting tenants in Detroit.
As a landlord in Detroit, you have the right to rent out your properties to good tenants who will pay rent on time and abide by your rental rules. You also have obligations to your tenants to ensure they can remain safe and accommodated during the time they rent from you.
Recalling what your rights and responsibilities as a landlord can be challenging. Rather than risk violating Detroit’s rental laws or compromise your relationship with your tenants, let us at Upside Investments help you better understand your rights and responsibilities as a Detroit landlord.
