Rental Property Maintenance Guide: Tenant Proofing Your Valuable Fixtures

by

Matt F

If you’re planning to be giving out your property for rent you need to work out a plan to minimize costs; linked to maintenance and repair while keeping the tenant safe and comfortable.

As a new landlord there are a few factors you should consider that will help reduce maintenance and repair costs. The majority of tenants come from middle income groups and mainly have smaller families this means rental properties should be smaller and not highly furnished. Below 6 major points linked to tenant proofing your valuable fixtures but some of the following factors will not apply for luxury rental properties. The following points are especially important for investors new to the property rental market. 1. Removal of non essential accessories It is important that the home owner make a checklist of the non-essential accessories in a house before rental. This include wall mount AC and HVAC units, water purifiers, fancy shower heads, expensive lighting, security alarm systems and fancy blinds among more items. These items are vulnerable to breaking down and take extra energy. 2. Avoid properties with pools As an investor it is best you avoid buying any property with a pool as these tend to require lots of costly maintenance. A pool will require $80 to $100 worth of chemical and maintenance each month. Pools are only acceptable if you are planning to rent a luxury home. 3. Avoid carpeting If the home has door to door carpeting this will increase the amount of maintenance require both for the tenant as well as the landlord. They will also require being changes every 3 years and would begin causing issue if not taken good care of by the tenant. Carpets should be replaced with ceramic tiling or flooring wooden floors to give them a good appearance and will last many years before required to be replaced again. 4. Landscaping, gardening and plant choice It is best to avoid complicated landscaping as this will only increase the cost of maintenance. Try to stick to the basics such as a plain grass lawn with a few plants on the edges. When searching for plants make sure to ask for dwarf or slow growing plants. This will result in less trimming and other maintenance. 5. Ensure unauthorised areas are blocked It is vital you seclude a store area or room on the property to keep maintenance equipment. Access to this area should be blocked from the tenant or any by passers. This is because tenants will tend to venture in to the room if unlocked exposing your costly tools and equipment. Unmanaged use of tools and equipment will lead to damage and loss, thus raising the landlords cost of replacing or repairing the equipment and tools. 6. Invest in Home insurance Home owners should always invest a portion of rent in home insurance which could help compensate any major damage that could be caused by the tenant or accident. Fire is the biggest danger that landlords are concerned about, since not all tenants are as careful as you would. This makes it vital that proper home insurance should be in hand; in case such a situation occurs.

The writer: Carpets on the Move Gold Coast provide quality flooring services for

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and Brisbane areas including

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for leading Brisbane developers.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com