An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) has reshaped the market of affordable housing, and it doesn't seem that the situation with the housing supply will change any time soon. Hence, more and more homeowners use this living space as rental units to generate rental income with the tenant's help and thereby fill the family budget. But the most exciting and probably important part of every month for the landlord is not the search for possible tenants or property maintenance but the collection of rent. Consequently, it is of utter importance that landlords know everything about this process regarding your rental unit.
To find out how to set up a rent collection system, how much rent is the right amount to collect, and what strategies exist for collecting it on time, read the following article. We promise that by the end of it, you won't have any questions concerning this entertaining process.
The first step that will help you build wealth is setting up a rent collection system that would work like a dream. To do so, you have to take certain steps. They can be landlord's essentials, and the sooner you get acquainted with them, the better.
Normally, homeowners prefer to get their money from the rental property in one established way. The most popular picks are checks, electronic transfers, or online payment platforms. It is important to pick the method that would satisfy both parties, you and your tenants, so it is worth discussing.
Not only is it important how you get the money, but also how often. The clear schedule helps you and your dwellers understand when it is the right time to pay and not skip the payment. To maintain fair housing law, landlords can ask for payment monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly.
Moreover, you can offer the tenants to make payments automatically with the special online services. This will help you keep track of the received payments and make it clear when it is overdue.
Nobody likes when the renting relationship goes wrong, and the payment is overdue. The task of every landlord is to minimize such events and collect rent on time. To do so, communication is the key. The date of payment should be discussed beforehand and put into the rental lease terms. We are all humans, so a reminder just a couple of days before the rent is due is also cool.
Another way of avoiding late payments is automatization. Decide on the time period and set up the time when the rent will be collected from the bank account of your tenants. If you don't want to mess with all this stuff, simply hire property managers who will do the job for you.
Moving forward, being a good property manager also requires the knowledge and skills of how to handle delinquent rent payments and evictions in the right way. After the payment is overdue and you have discussed it with the tenant, there are many ways you can solve this issue.
Delinquent rent payments can be made in these ways:
However, if nothing of these helps and the dweller doesn't want to pay for the rent, you have to start the eviction process from your accessory dwelling unit. According to the city laws, you have to fill out the necessary legal documents and attend the eviction hearings. Nonetheless, it is better to consult with reliable professionals throughout the whole process to get your rental property back with flying colors.
When you start using your accessory dwelling unit as a rental property, you have to decide whether you will work with short-term rentals or find clients on a long-term basis. Even though the first option may bring you fast money, in the long run, it may affect the unit negatively, and you will spend more on proper maintenance.
However, there must be special financial planning if you work with people renting your unit for long periods. To understand the generating of income correctly, start with analyzing the potential income and possible expenses. Then, create a reserve fund for the latter. Consider the elements like property taxes, mortgage payments, and your retirement savings – the factor that may influence the rental rate – and adjust the rate to fit your needs.
These actions will help you maintain a rental ADU in great condition for residential use so it wouldn't lose its value. Pay attention to property tax increases to keep your rates at the corresponding level.
To keep generating value from the existing residence, it is essential that you know how much money is earned and spent in a period of time. Hence, you have to keep track of these elements. But how? For an inexperienced landlord, rental properties may be hard at first, so we have created a list of tips to help you.
To track the expenses and income from an ADU, the following steps are vital:
For people far from accounting, financial reports, and statements sound like documents from another planet, but in reality, they are essential to any rental property business. This will give you a clear picture of the performance of your house, the rentability of the usable square footage, and your ADU's value.
To develop a financial report, you have to get acquainted with the key concepts, including income statement, balance sheet, or cash flow statement. Don't forget about expense breakdowns to understand where your money goes. And yes, here, consistency is the key.
A clearly scheduled reporting system will let you review financial reports on a regular basis.
There are many unpleasant events that may occur when managing your ADU. You may forget that you owe taxes to the government or that some of your documents are not in correspondence with local ordinances, and that's fine; we are all people. However, it is vital to fix these issues to avoid problems with the government. Another example of the ADU management that is often overlooked is security deposits and refunds.
They are vital to maintaining a positive relationship with your tenants and can help you find more clients in the future. First, you need to write it in the lease agreement. Agree on the amount of money and refund timelines. Next, keep the deposits, rental income, and personal money in different bank accounts.
This will help you not mix the money. Also, follow the legal requirements that you have stated in the documents concerning the timeframe for the refund.
With time, money loses its value, the mortgage for the land has to be paid off, and landlords have to increase the rent. At this step, it is crucial to understand how to implement these unpleasant changes.
The increase shouldn't be too huge, but it should still achieve desired profitability. Don't forget to articulate adequate reasons for the changes. And in case of any inconvenience, support your point of view with documentation.
To make your ADU finance your budget, it is important to know about tax considerations. Consult with property management companies, and they will tell you everything about income reporting, expense deductions, or depreciation. These concepts are crucial to the understanding of ADU income and expenses.
However, the main element of it is your knowledge and attention to small details. By keeping track of everything you do, you will avoid many headaches.
It may be difficult to solve the law issues on your own without proper education. But professionals in the sphere are ready to help you.
Talk to the following experts to get legal advice on renting out an ADU:
Working with professionals will let you rent out your ADU in the best possible way.
The timeframe for proper ADU construction is various and depends on many factors. We will have to consider the time to prepare an ADU project, the cost and time to get the necessary materials, the structure of the land and the future house, the characteristics of the existing home, and so on. But normally, it takes us around 6–8 months to complete one.
You have to set up clear rules for using your ADU. Who pays for the amenities? Is smoking allowed on your property? Is it possible to invite the guests to the house? Can a tenant purchase new furniture for the unit? These are the questions you have to answer.
If you are a landlord and want to build an ADU, you can, for example, get a loan or even loans in California for your future houses. For a landlord, building a guest house is much cheaper than a normal one on a new lot. Moreover, you will be able to pay it off with the tenant's help, which will use your living space in the future.
