3 Jobs to Do Before a Tenant Moves in

When you own a house, you are responsible for all the things that go wrong with it. This can be daunting, especially if you are renting out your home. Sometimes renters don’t do the best job at taking care of your property and you end up having a lot of work to do after they move out. Thankfully, a security deposit will help that, but often times it is not enough. Your best bet is to make sure everything is taken care of before renting out your property. This way, you know exactly what the regular wear and tear is, versus not being cared for by the renters. Here are a few things you can do to your home before someone moves in.

Repairing a Roof
Repairing a roof or replacing a residential roof can be as big or small a job as you make it. You’ll want to decide on what type of roof, for example, metal roofs or asphalt or various types of shingles. There are pros and cons to each. A new roof should last you a good 20 years and there is a not a lot that a tenant can do to destroy a roof. Of course, leaks and not getting it cleaned won’t help but staying on top of those things can help to maintain it. Repairing a roof should be something periodically done, whether you have tenants or not. The weather and elements can wear on a roof making professional roof repairs a necessity. Find a roofing contractor that you trust and stick with them when repairing a roof. This way, even if you don’t know what to look for, you’ll know that you can take the word of your contractor. They may also be able to recommend good cleaners that will preform checks whenever they are up there to clean.

Replacing carpets
Having new carpets installed before a tenant moves in will not only make the house look nicer but it will help the new tenant as far as any allergens go. Carpets tend to hold on to fur, dust and other things that were from the previous tenant. If you allow pets in your home, a potential tenant that is allergic to animals may not move in if you are not going to replace the carpets. Just make sure to also replace the underlying carpet padding as well. If you don’t go to cheap, the carpets should last you a few years of regular foot traffic. You could arrange with the tenant to have them cleaned monthly or perhaps take that out of the rent. The only problem is, if the tenant is not having the carpets cleaned, then you wouldn’t know and the carpets will be trashed and they’ve been paying a discounting rent the entire time.

Repaint walls
It’s always a good idea to repaint the home before new tenants move in. As an added bonus, you could allow the new tenants to pick the colors that they want. If you are going to be painting anyway, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t allow them to decide what color suits their tastes. Of course, you don’t have to allow neon colors or someone that won’t re-rent when the time comes. Give them a choice of neutral type colors and let them know that you’re willing to have each room painted differently as long as the tenant can stay within that color scheme.

It’s a good idea to do a walk through of your property every six months or so, to make sure that the renters are taking care of it. You can look at the outside any time you want but you’ll need to arrange with the residents as to when you can show up to see inside the home. Allowing them to hang pictures and put holes in the wall is not a bad idea but completely up to you. Many homeowners will not allow this. However, even though you want the person to make sure they are taking care of your home, you want them to also feel at home living there. If you find a good tenant, you should do your part to make them want to stay long term.