First if you go look at the average cost of the prime months it is $3460 a month. Believe me as I survey over 100 rentals every year to set my rental rates and have spread sheets with 200 plus properties on them updated annually. Ranches run $3390 and designers run $3540 on average for the three prime months. I survey a lot of like properties, location, features, golf cart, wireless, any many others. I throw out the high and the low, take the average and set my rent $100 below the average.
Getting properties cleaned properly between tenants is an issue. I have gone through 3 different companies and none are satisfactory. The problem is they all try to clean 30 homes in a 24 hour period and have nothing to do the rest of the month. Every landlord uses the calendar and rents from the first to the end of the month. So a very short window between homes. I have to go through each home and double check everything after they have cleaned. And I always find something they missed and probably also miss something.
I ask every tenant to keep a list of everything that is a problem. No matter how minor. If it needs attention now, call me and I will get it resolved. Any thing missing or something they want, write it down or go get it and give me the receipt. And believe me every one wants something we never think of. I have been asked for cookie sheets, electric tea pots, DVD recorders, hot plates, crock pots, aprons, knife sharpener, foot stools, ladder, zip lock bags, dust busters, car washing supplies, and other things I wont mention. Most I provide when asked and leave for the next person so over time most bases are covered.
There is always something to fix between tenants. ALWAYS. And again you have a very short window to get it done. And most don't let you know or write anything down. Hopefully you find it, but not always.
And there are also the things they try to hide. Spilled coffee on the mattress, broken golf cart wind shield, empty golf cart gas tank (even though lease states it's full now, leave it full when you leave) empty grill tank, even though I pay them to get it filled if needed. Almost impossible for us to know how full that tank is or how much someone used the grill. Cut furniture, and spilled wine, and moved furniture, and many other things. And then there is things like the stickers they put on the frig and the golf carts.
And then there is the issue of pets and smoking. Many potential renters ask if there have ever been pets in the home. And if there have, they wont rent from you. It is greater then 60% that do not want a home if there has ever been pets in it. And even though my lease states, no smoking any where, to include the garage, lanai, driveway or anywhere on the property, people will still do it.
I guess the point is that landlords are not perfect and neither are the tenants. Most are truly wonderful people and I have made some great friends from my tenants. Most of my business is repeat tenants and I provide a discount to keep the good ones coming back.
I do my very best to keep and maintain a clean home, in good repair, and provide everything a tenant wants no matter how strange it may seem to me. Doing so does have it's challenges. So please all tenants, communicate with the property owner, let them know anything that will help them provide you with a quality experience.
And no one has ever asked me for a left hand ice cream scoop.
No idea where I would even find one. But if I could, for the $3 or $4 bucks it would cost, I would get it for a good tenant.