Long-term rental management in Batumi for the whole term of the lease

What stays with us once the tenant has moved in

Long-term rental management in Batumi works differently from short-term rental. Most of the work comes at two points: when we look for a tenant and when the tenant moves out. In between come months of steady work, and they decide what condition the apartment is in when it comes back to you a year later.

We find and check the tenant, draw up the lease, take the deposit and make a handover form with photos following the procedure described on the page about finding and screening tenants. This page is about what happens after the lease is signed:

• every month we check that the rent has come in and keep an eye on the apartment's bills;
• we take the tenant's reports of breakdowns and decide who repairs them and at whose expense;
• we visit the apartment on the schedule set in the lease;
• we deal with the building's management company and the neighbours instead of you;
• usually two months before the lease ends, we discuss renewal or start looking for the next tenant;
• every month we send a report, followed by your share of the rent.

If the apartment is rented short-term in summer and let long term only for the winter, it is more convenient to have one contract for the apartment with different formats by season. Each month the commission is calculated according to the format in which the apartment was rented.

Rent and bills every month

The rent comes in on the day set in the lease, to our account or to yours if you prefer. When the rent goes straight to you, you confirm that it has arrived and pay our commission against a monthly invoice.

With long-term rental the tenant usually pays the utilities, but the utility accounts stay with the apartment. So once a month we look not just at the tenant's receipts but at the balance for electricity, water and gas. Otherwise a debt that has been building up for six months comes to light at move-out, when the deposit may not be enough to cover it. We either pay the building service charge ourselves or check that the tenant has paid it, depending on what the lease says.

At every visit we photograph the meter readings. A sudden rise in water use for no obvious reason often means a leaking cistern or hose, and finding it in March costs less than finding it in the handover form at move-out.

Breakdowns: what the tenant pays for and what the owner pays for

A dispute over a breakdown almost always comes down to one question: is it wear and tear, or is it the tenant's fault? The general rule is written into the lease, and in practice we divide it like this:

We carry out repairs at your expense within the limit set in the management agreement, and agree anything more expensive with you in advance. If the tenant disagrees that a breakdown was their fault, the inventory and the photos from move-in settle it. That is exactly why they are made in such detail.

Contact with the tenant and the building's management company

The tenant has one contact for the apartment: our manager. The tenant reports breakdowns to the manager, agrees visits with them and sorts out questions about the bills. The neighbours also contact the manager, not you, and you see the outcome of every issue in the report.

We also deal with the building's management company. If water has come through from upstairs, we arrange access to the neighbours' apartment, photograph the marks and establish whose repair it is. If the building is turning off the water or changing the parking rules, the tenant hears about it from the manager, not from a notice by the lift.

Renewing the lease and changing tenants

Usually two months before the lease ends, we ask the tenant about their plans and check what similar apartments are renting for now. If the tenant is staying, we propose renewal terms to you: the term, the rent and any changes to the lease. During the term the rent changes only in the way the lease sets out, and on renewal it is negotiated afresh.

If the tenant is leaving, we look for the next one while they are still living in the apartment and show it at times agreed with them. We take the apartment back against the handover form and inventory, and leave a few days between tenants for cleaning and minor repairs. If the apartment is looking tired after a year, we price a refresh. What usually gets replaced in an apartment let long term is described on the page about renovating an apartment for tenants.

Reports and tax with long-term rental

The report here is shorter than with short-term rental: the rent received, the apartment's bills, visits with photos, repairs with receipts, the commission and the amount we transfer to you. If the rent goes straight to you, the report shows the expenses, the visits and our commission.

Tax on rental income is paid by the owner. With long-term rental the rules are clearer than with short-term rental, but the 5% rate on gross income depends on registering as a landlord, and according to consultants you need to register in advance, before the first rent comes in. How to do this and when to file the tax return is covered on the page about tax on renting out an apartment.

How much long-term rental management in Batumi costs

The management commission is 15–18% of the monthly rent, and the percentage depends on how much of the work is left to us. We take it only on rent actually received: a month the tenant has not paid for brings us no commission. It covers checking the rent and the bills, contact with the tenant and the building, organising repairs, scheduled visits and the report.

One-off jobs are paid for separately. Finding a long-term tenant costs 90–120% of one month's rent, checking a candidate 210–300 ₾, and a lease with a handover form and inventory 240–360 ₾. A tradesman's call-out for minor repairs costs 69–96 ₾, and an empty apartment check between tenants with a photo report 100–145 ₾ per visit.

Steady work with one tenant also suits a flat fee instead of a percentage. How to compare the two models is shown in our comparison of percentage vs flat fee. The amount depends on the value of the furniture and appliances in the inventory, how often we visit and who pays the utilities. We work out the final cost after viewing the apartment, once the inventory and the visit schedule are clear, and fix it in the contract.