Preparing Your Home To Be A Rental

Thoughts to consider

PREPARING YOUR HOME TO BE A RENTAL

Here are some thoughts to consider before you rent. This list will help you prioritize your efforts when turning your home into a rental property.

Personal Property: Remove all of the stuff you have been storing in the property. Generally, if personal property is in the home or on the grounds, it is considered part of the lease and subject to tenants’ use.

Think about what you want or need to leave for tenants’ use. If anything is an heirloom or sentimental, it might be wise to remove it during the tenancy-like Grandma’s chandelier, remove it and replace with something inexpensive.

Deep clean the house (if not already complete) — the standard of clean YOU SET is the standard we hold the tenant to!

Have the carpets professionally cleaned — we require the tenant to do the same on move-out.

An immaculate home will give the most positive impression, attract the best renters, provide the highest rent, and will be the easiest to evaluate when the tenants move out.

Curb Appeal Your property should be as attractive from the road as possible, and minor inexpensive cosmetic touch-ups will enhance your property. Clean out the weeds from the flowerbeds and fence line, trim the grass, and wash the siding. Painting walls when and where needed will add an attractive sparkle to your home and make it appear new and bright.

Maintenance: Try to imagine looking at your home for the first time. Would you want to live there? Are there curling shingles on the roof, broken windows, leaking faucets, peeling wallpaper, or door locks that do not work?

Make sure that the appliances, heating and ventilation systems, and plumbing fixtures check out and are in working condition. In fact, if at all possible, get an HVAC maintenance contract; it is inevitable, the first hot or cold day, we get several calls complaining of no heat or AC. Houses with maintenance contracts always get the quickest appointments!

Make any needed cosmetic repairs (we can always assist you with this)

Clean windows — sunshine makes all the difference!

Clean gutters

Fresh caulk in all bathrooms, and kitchen if needed

All toilets working well — replace flappers if needed

Fresh furnace filter — leave a couple for the tenant — they are required to change

Touch up or repaint as needed, make any needed repairs

Fresh batteries in all smoke detectors

All light bulbs working (tenants are required to do the same upon move-out)

Landlord Insurance (tenant must have renters insurance)

Utilities stay in your name until lease start date — we will guide the tenant to transfer into their name

Consider preparing a “Welcome to My Home” instruction sheet for the new tenant, with important information you want the tenant to know about the home, home care, and/or the neighborhood.

Please let us know what we can help you with — we can refer cleaning companies, contractors and handymen and we can arrange to have the work done after you move.

 

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