Strategies to stop squatters living in your investment property

IF YOU’RE having trouble renting a property it might become an appealing target for squatters, which can create major headaches for landlords.

Unwanted guests might cause damage (even if unintentional) which can leave you with a clean-up bill and delay the arrival of a tenant even longer.

"We have seen situations where a squatter has broken doors and windows to force entry into a property, punched holes in walls, ripped up carpet and sprayed graffiti throughout," Carolyn Parella explains.

"Depending on the circumstances, there may be a delay between a squatter leaving the property and before the property can be re-let again, which can result in additional costs for the landlord. It can be extremely costly in terms of repairs and loss of rental income.

"This can be extremely costly for the landlord both in terms of repairs and the loss of rental income." Here are four handy tips you can follow for protecting an unattended property:

Consider more security:

Install deadlocks on external doors and fit security screens to accessible windows, as they can deter unwanted guests from breaking in.

You may also want to consider an alarm system that alerts a company – and you – that there’s been unexpected activity on the property.

Motion sensors and lights will also help deter intruders.

Visit the property regularly:

If you had a previous tenant, make sure you close the loop with a thorough inspection of the property and outgoing condition report (this is also important to protect the rights of your tenant).

Inspect the property frequently and record any damages.

This way you can be sure that you’re logging any new damage.

Maintain a lived-in look:

If the garden becomes overgrown or the gutters start to rust, it can become obvious that there’s no one home.

Most importantly, don’t neglect the property.

Be sure to give the impression it’s lived in.

Keep on top of upkeep and hire a gardener or tradespeople to help out if you can’t manage yourself.

You want to give the impression the property is lived in.

Communicate with the community:

It’s worth telling a trusted neighbour that the property is vacant while you’re on the hunt for your next tenant.

They may be able to let you know if they see anything unusual.

If you’re worried there’s someone living in your property illegally, you should contact the local authorities to seek assistance.

Don’t risk confronting anyone, as you can’t be sure what to expect.