Pros and Cons of Owning a Rental in an HOA

So you’ve recently purchased a home or building to rent out, or decided to rent out space in your own home. Great! Many homeowners are going this route these days to help mediate the costs of their mortgage or pad their pocket a bit more each month. However, there’s a hiccup… your property is located in a neighborhood with an HOA. How will this affect your rental?

The very first thing you should do before purchasing a rental property or renting out space in your home is review the HOA for any rental requirements and restrictions. Once you’re aware of what your particular HOA requires, you can better decide whether renting is right for you. If you decide it is, then there are some pros and cons to consider about renting in an HOA neighborhood.

Pros:

• You may be able to include the partial or full HOA fee in the tenant’s rent depending on your HOA’s particular regulations. As the homeowner, you are ultimately responsible for paying the fee, so including the cost in the rent rather than charging tenants a separate fee is advisable. If you do expect renters to pay the HOA themselves, you must inform them in their contract.
• The HOA will often maintain community areas and possibly even provide lawn service, which will keep the neighborhood and your property looking nice. If the tenant isn’t responsible for landscaping, lawn care, or maintaining the outside of the building, you don’t have to worry about them letting it slide and lowering your property value.
• As a landlord, you’ll have the support of your association when it comes to neighborhood issues or problems with the neighbors. If your tenant has a problem, they may be able to rely on the HOA management to help.
• Many HOA neighborhoods offer great amenities, which will increase the appeal of your rental for potential tenants and even allow you to charge a more premium rent if your rental market is good.

Cons:

• Every HOA is unique, and yours might have restrictions for rentals that limit your pool of applicants or the length of time you can offer a lease. Some may not allow you to rent at all.
• Your HOA may have requirements regarding upgrades or replacements on your property, and as a landlord, you may have to do regular upkeep. Make sure you’re aware of what you can and cannot do to the home and grounds, and make sure your tenant is aware and doesn’t try to do anything on their own. You may also have to monitor whether the tenant has certain pets, playground equipment, or wants to put up a fence.
• If your tenant becomes a problem, the penalties will fall on you. Hopefully a proper screen will prevent such issues, but it’s possible you may end up with a tenant who causes disturbances, doesn’t pick up their trash, parks where they shouldn’t, or other similar issues. Any fines – or possible foreclosures – will be on your shoulders.

If you need more guidance or help with tenant screening, contact PURE Property Management. We’re here to help!