Rental properties can be excellent investments – especially at a time when having different sources of income is a good idea.
If you are new to rental properties, whether it is long term or short term, we will give you some ideas how to get the house ready!
To start, it might be common sense, but we want to remind you of the importance of a deep cleaning! This is above and beyond regular cleaning. Some ideas are: cleaning carpets, changing air filters, scrubbing doors and baseboards, cleaning behind and under furniture, cleaning air vents, etc. There are a lot of areas you might not think of to clean. A professional cleaning company will be very helpful in making sure everything is cleaning and sanitized.
Another tip is to inspect everything and anything! If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you can hire a professional who would be happy to do it. Everything in the home needs to be inspected and made sure it all works properly and in good shape. For example, does both the heating and cooling on the HVAC unit work? Does the hot water get hot? Does the refrigerator make ice and keep food cool and frozen? Is there mold anywhere that needs to be taken care of? Are all of the windows sealed properly? These are just a handful of items that need to be looked at.
It would be nice to spruce things up a bit! This can include: a fresh coat of paint, plant some flowers outside, update fixtures, etc. You do not have to spend a lot of money on this but any little bit would help.
One final tip is to make sure things in the home are safe! A fire extinguisher should be available somewhere, for example. Check to make sure the smoke detectors all work properly. Another thought is so change the locks.
Can you think of any other tips to make a home ready for renters?