16 May Preparing Your Home or Property for Rental
The decision to rent your home or property is an important one that requires a great deal of thought and planning. However, giving careful consideration to all the aspects involved with home rental will help to create a positive experience, both for you and your prospective tenants.
Once you have decided to pursue renting your home or property, there are several tasks you will need to complete to prepare it for the new tenants. These pertain to issues of safety, security, maintenance, cleanliness and functionality of your home or property.
As a safety precaution, California state law requires all dwellings to have smoke detectors as well as carbon monoxide detectors. The best practice is to make sure each bedroom and common hallway in your home is equipped with a smoke detector with new batteries. Carbon monoxide detectors should be in each common hallway outside bedroom areas.
Next, check to see that your water heater is braced and strapped, in accordance to California law. This is also a good time to have your HVAC system serviced to make sure it is in good working condition and whether it needs a new air filter installed.
As far as plumbing is concerned, all sink and bath drains should be working properly as well as all toilets. If you have a garbage disposal in the kitchen, inspect and clean it to ensure there aren’t any blocked lines or unpleasant odors.
Windows should be able to open and close properly, with operating locks. Cracked glass panes or torn screens should be replaced or repaired prior to renting your property. Additionally, if you have any type of window treatments installed, they should be fully functional, clean and free from damage.
You want your property to be secure so check all exterior doors to make sure locks are working properly. This is also a good time to check interior doors and see that all have doorstops.
If you decide to repaint your home prior to renting it, neutral colors are always recommended as they are more popular with tenants. If there are any nail holes or blemishes on walls, ceilings, doors or baseboards, these should be repaired. There are many products on the market now that help to remove scuff marks, fill holes and clean stubborn stains.
Speaking of cleaning, your home or property must be cleaned thoroughly before it can be rented. This includes washing the windows as well as cleaning the carpets or floors. If there were pets in the home, make sure that any odors or stains are taken care of because these types of issues will deter prospective tenants.
Finally, remove all personal belongings and items from the home or property. This ensures that your belongings aren’t damaged or lost and it also allows the new tenants to feel more at home in their new place.
This list might seem a bit overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Our contracted service providers can assist with any of the tasks necessary to get your home ready to rent. And here at Metro Property Services, we can assist with all aspects of this process to make your experience stress-free. To find out more about how we can help you turn your home or property into a rental, give us a call at 310.220.4495.