While it’s nice to put your own touches on a home, there are certain things that make a property more tailored for a tenancy. Before you start any renovations, read on for our top things to consider to get your place ready for renting.
Paintwork
The quality of paint you use for your property is important. Paint of a good standard, and from a trusted brand, will be durable enough to take regular washing without chipping or fading. It’s better to use a quality paint once than have to do countless touch ups with a cheaper alternative.
Blind and curtains
We recommend ensuring that your blinds and curtains are washable and durable, so that they last longer and there’s a smaller chance of them being damaged by mould, sun or just over time. Check with an expert when it comes to picking blinds and curtains suitable for the windows on your property, so you know they’re going to be effective and keep in maximum warmth as well.
Carpet
Carpets are something you want to invest in, as bad quality carpet can really affect the look and appeal of your property. Often, carpet specialists will have particular brands and styles of carpet they recommend to property owners as ‘tenant-proof’. Generally, low pile carpets are recommended as they’re tough and best able to deal with the wear and tear of life! Similarly, it’s best to avoid light coloured carpets so that small stains and marks won’t show. As you can see, a bit of common-sense goes a long way here.
Flooring
While soft wood floorboards might look great, they dent and scratch easily so aren’t so practical for most properties. We normally recommend easy care tiles, as they are easily replaceable if you keep some spare tiles on hand. Laminate ‘floating floorboards’ are also a good option, as they wear well and look great. It’s important to remember however that every property is different, so speaking with a flooring specialist will ensure you use the best wearing and most appropriate flooring for your property.
Lawns and gardens
Most tenants aren’t too keen on looking after a high maintenance garden, so anything too ‘fussy’ can give you trouble. We normally recommend minimising garden area by using bark chips, gravel or pavers, so there is less upkeep to worry about. If the garden is small enough, you could even consider using good quality artificial lawn. If you do have anything growing on the property, consider having irrigation or drippers installed so that hand watering is minimised, and use weed matting to cut down on other unwanted growth and reduce maintenance required to keep gardens looking good.
While it’s hard to keep a property perfect, good planning and decisions can minimise visible damage and ensure your property looks better for longer.