4 Tips for Dealing with a Crisis as a Landlord

#1: Have an Emergency Contact Number.

Give your tenants a phone number at which they can reach you 24 hours a day in case of actual emergencies.

I know what you’re thinking: Uh-Oh.

If you give them a number at which they can reach you 24 hours a day, they’ll be calling you at 10 p.m. to complain that they don’t like the color of tile that you chose for the bathtub surround.

“This isn’t warm beige, it’s 1970’s brown!”

You’ll have to speak with your tenants very clearly about what constitutes an emergency. A minor drip is not an emergency, but a flood in the basement is.

If you don’t want to give your tenants your own phone number, here are a few alternatives:

• Use a 24-hour answering service company like WeTakeCalls.com or MapCommunications.com
• Give your tenants a Google voice number … and check it frequently! Have the number forward to your cellular phone.
• Get a phone number and voicemail through Skype. Have your tenants call you at that number, and check it through your phone.

#2: Know Your Numbers

Keep a list of emergency numbers that you may need, such as the numbers for the gas company, the electric company, the police and fire department, and any preferred 24-hour contractors that you may need to call, such as 24-hour plumbers.

If you don’t know who your preferred 24-hour contractors are, get recommendations now. You should have those names and numbers on hand well in advance of when you may need them. Chat with other landlords in your area to see who they recommend .

#3: Launch an Anti-Fire Offensive

Prevention is the best emergency preparation. Keep a working smoke alarm in all of your units. Conduct a walk through of your units at least once a year, if not twice a year, and check the batteries and the fire extinguisher each time you walk through the unit.

I actually take this a step further and put a fire extinguisher in each of my units. During my initial walk-through with the tenant, I instruct the tenant on how to use it. These cost about $15 – $20 at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

When I started offering these, I used to tell the tenant that they’d be responsible for replacing the fire extinguisher if the fire was their fault (e.g. if they let a candle burn too close to a curtain), but later I decided that I didn’t want to give the tenants any reason to hesitate to use the extinguisher if necessary. Now I tell the tenants that I’ll gladly pay to replace the extinguisher if they need to use it.

I also add a clause in my lease stating that tenants may not leave burning candles unattended, and may not use any type of fire toys on the premises.

“Wait, what’s a fire toy?”

You know, like a twirling baton or a hula-hoop that you light on fire. Then you spin it around in circles, or toss it into the air.

“You added a clause to your lease about not using fire toys?”

I sure did.

“Isn’t that a little far-fetched?”

Hey, now my tenants can never protest: “You didn’t say that I can’t light a hula-hoop on fire in the living room!”

#4: Keep Keys Accessible

Keep multiple sets of keys to the unit. Place copies of these keys at any location you’re likely to frequent. Keep one set at keys at your home, for example, and another set of keys at your office.

If you go on vacation, make sure that you have a friend or trusted contractor who can easily access these keys.

I learned this lesson the hard way when an emergency unfolded in one of my vacant units while I was out-of-state. I wanted to send a contractor into the unit, but the keys were locked inside my house and nobody had access to my house keys. Oops!

Everything worked out in the end, but I learned my lesson: Make sure that the people who I contact have an easy way to access keys, even if I personally can’t be there.

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The Bottom Line: Creating an emergency plan — well in advance of an actual emergency — can help you sail through those rough times. Murphy’s Law won’t stand a chance. smichael