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Owner FAQ Regarding Personal Property

Hello, greetings from Colorado Springs. My name is Lance Kohler. I'm the managing broker of the Cornerstone Real Estate Team. Today, I'd like to talk about an owner frequently asked question, and it's regarding personal property at their rental, their investment property. You know, oftentimes we'll have owners ask, as they're getting ready to transition—they're leaving town or turning over a property, their home, to us as an investment property—we're going to manage it and lease the property for them, and the owner asks, "Can I leave some type of personal property in my rental property?" Most often, it's a washer and dryer. "Can I leave a washer and dryer in my rental property?" Sometimes it's a lawn mower, maybe a weed trimmer, sometimes it's a grill. Occasionally, we'll have a rental property that has a shed in the back, and the owner might want to leave some personal items there. Their intent is to come back at some point, or they want to secure that personal property.

So, our recommendation is no, that we do not want the owner to leave personal property with the rental. Don't leave your personal property. If it is provided—in other words, if you leave the washer and dryer in the rental property—our policy is that it must be maintained. Occasionally, we have new owners that’ll leave some personal property. Again, washers and dryers seem to be the most common. "I'm going to leave this, but if it breaks, I’m not going to fix it." And again, our policy is: if it’s provided at the beginning of the lease, you as the owner are required to maintain it or replace it. So, if it breaks, you're going to have to fix it or replace it. If you provide that washer and dryer, and the tenants move in, and that washer quits working, then our policy is that you, as the owner, would pay for repair or replacement of that washer and dryer throughout the lease.

So again, we don't recommend it, but in some cases, we've allowed owners to leave personal property in the unit. A couple of things that I'd like you to consider if you're thinking about leaving personal property: again, if it’s provided, the tenant has a reasonable expectation that the property is going to be maintained. The magistrate in Colorado Springs that hears eviction cases has upheld that expectation in past rulings. At times when a personal property item, like a washer and dryer, goes out or stops working, tenants have asked for a reduction in rent because they rented a house with a washer and dryer, and now they don’t have one for a week, two weeks, however long it takes to get it repaired. So, we've seen that circumstance before.

And lastly, maybe the tenants have their own washer and dryer. The new residents moving into your property have their own washer and dryer, and they want to use their appliances, not yours. So, where do you want us to store your washer and dryer during the term of the lease? And do you want to store that washer for three years while you're away from your property? Because generally, I mean, there’s potential for mold, mildew, and all sorts of things in that washer when it sits without being used.

So again, "Can I leave personal property in my rental property?" We recommend no. We don’t recommend that you do it. Hopefully, this information was of value to you. I appreciate your time. Make it a great day!

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