Is Your Rental Property Ready for tenants.
For first-time landlords, renting out your property for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience. You’ll naturally want your property to shine on the market, and gearing up to accept tenants is a time for you to go through everything once more and re-check. To that end, read on for our checklist to ensure your property is ready to accept tenants.
Be thorough with maintenance
Even though you’ve probably gone over this step dozens of times before, it doesn’t hurt to have one more check. In fact, thorough maintenance is more than just checking to see your lights and water are still running. The Balance notes that exterminating your property, cleaning out the gutters, and changing air filters are all necessary steps that you might overlook. Just keep in mind that some maintenance checks may require professional help, although this also depends on your own level of willingness to repair your property yourself. Depending on where you live, you might also need to have your property inspected.
Do some deep cleaning
It’s safe to say that cleanliness is on everyone’s mind nowadays, and will be a major concern for future tenants. To that end, you’ll want to make sure your property is as spotless as possible before putting it up for rent. According to HomeServe Living’s guide to keeping your house clean, germ hot-spots can be found all over your home — especially in places you might otherwise miss. While it’s good to mop your floors and clean your walls, you should also be taking care to sanitize frequently touched places like door handles, remotes, appliance handles, and areas where food is prepared. If you can’t schedule a cleaning service to stop by, use a diluted bleach solution made up of hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite, which can work just as well.
Make it homey
Of course, you’ll also want to make your property as homey as possible before a tenant moves in. By doing this, it proves to your tenant that you’ve treated the property with care, which can then help start your landlord and tenant relationship off on the right foot. Aside from repainting the walls (if necessary) and making sure the upholstery is clean, you might want to consider stocking toilets with some cleaning supplies or invest in a cutlery set or two for the kitchen. These small touches can make the move-in process a lot easier for your tenant.
Add some functional upgrades
If you’re looking for additional upgrades to make to your property, why not look at making it into a smart home? Smart homes are indeed the future, with researchers from Dartmouth College partnering with other institutions working to make smart homes more secure. This technology has evolved from home assistants to include automated pet and plant care, kitchen appliances, and even monitoring devices that can detect water leaks. All of these systems can go under a smart home hub that supports multiple protocols and allows the end user to look after their home with ease. These smart home touches are especially worth the investment for those looking to rent their property out to digital-savvy millennials or remote workers.
Our previous post entitled ‘Summer Home Sales Could Be Hotter Than Expected’ proves that contrary to popular belief, this global health crisis might actually spur on potential homeowners to take advantage of low mortgage rates. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, relying on the four points above can help make your property ready for tenants.
Written by Bysshe Jimin
