New Year’s Eve is a huge holiday in the United States where people gather and have fun. People from all over the country gather with family and friends in their homes, go to private parties, or join large public celebrations. They enjoy these festivities as a way to welcome the new year and say goodbye to the old. Your Columbia Heights tenants, too, will possibly celebrate New Year’s Eve with a fun social event. For this reason, on the topic of your renters throwing parties, it’s necessary to know what you can do to keep your rental home safe and make sure the parties don’t become excessive. You can take a proactive approach: from the language in your lease documents to proper enforcement of its terms.
Keeping your tenants’ New Year’s Eve celebrations from turning into rowdy events that increase the risk of damage and liability can be tough. As a case in point, if there is a party on your property, how many people are allowed to attend and how many would be considered too many? What about alcohol consumption– would it be a good idea to restrict it, and can you even legally do that to your tenants? What if your tenants what to celebrate by setting off fireworks or noisemakers at midnight?
These issues (and more) can all attended to in your lease documents. The wording in your lease should explicitly limit the number of heads that are allowed on the property at any moment; if there is a need to have more people above the limit, special permission must be sought. The specific number can vary, but “no more than 10 for fewer than four hours” is a popular option.
While you can’t legally ban the drinking of alcoholic beverages by your renters, you can add specific language in your lease that addresses illegal activities, and put down in writing the specific consequences of approving such act on your rental property in Columbia Heights. You may also consider prohibiting large crowds, excessively loud noise, or a huge number of cars. Fireworks should not be allowed at all of your rental homes, and you might have to place a specific statement for holiday-related activities (such as loud music or noisemakers) that would produce a public nuisance for the whole neighborhood.
Another option is to see to it that your tenants purchase their own renter’s insurance that includes renters legal liability. Because, in the case that they do throw a large party on the property, the likelihood of damage and injury increases considerably. If there actually is damage or injury, you could be held liable unless your tenants have their own insurance coverage.
Finally, protecting your rental homes requires that you are diligent in enforcing the terms of the lease agreement. If a party gets disorderly and loud, destructive, or illegal activity is taking place, it’s imperative that you act right away and be firm in holding your renters accountable.
The good news is that you don’t have to tackle all these things all on your own. At Real Property Management DC Metro, we will ensure that your lease documents include specific and binding language while monitoring activity, watching for those things that may not comply. Please contact us online or call us at 202-269-0303 to learn more about how we can serve you.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
