If you have come to the conclusion that you would like to turn your home into a rental unit, then there are a lot of things that you should learn about the whole process. This article will prove to be a helpful guide that will get you started on some of the many things you should know about having a rental unit.
Prepare the home for renters
While you will do your best to ensure that the people you entrust your home to are clean, responsible and trustworthy people, you can't always be 100% sure. Therefore, you want to make sure you take steps to protect yourself from running into some expensive repair bills.
Put in good appliances - You should put in good quality appliances with great warranties, but don't go with ones that are very high-end choices. You'll want sturdy ones that can take a beating, but you don't want to put ones in that are going to be excessively expensive.
Put in a rental quality carpet – When it comes to choosing the carpet, you want to be sure you put carpeting in that will look nice in the unit, but that is very affordable. Renters tend to be the hardest on the carpeting. In fact, most states have laws on how long you can keep the carpet in a rental unit and possibly even how many renters can use the same carpet before it needs to be fully replaced. Therefore, you want to stick to the affordable stuff, since you will be replacing it more than you may in your own home. You should also consider going with darker colors that will help to hide spills better.
Put in linoleum – When it comes to the flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms, you may want to go with linoleum. Linoleum is a good choice because it is easy to keep clean and it can be put through a lot before it sees any damage. If you go with an expensive tile, you may find that some of it is broken when your renters move, and you'll need to replace those pieces. You may not even be able to find that same style when it comes to replacing some of the tiles. Plus, linoleum can be easy for you to install yourself if you are somewhat handy and it is inexpensive.
Paint the walls with a high-gloss paint – You should paint the walls with a high gloss paint. The high-gloss paint is a great choice for a rental because it will be a whole lot easier to keep clean. When the walls get dirty they can often be easily cleaned by just wiping them down with a damp rag and a little bit of soap.
Go with Cambria countertops – If you will be putting in new countertops, then you should think about going with Cambria countertops from a company like Old World Stone. This may be where you spend a little bit more money, but you will be doing it for a good reason. Cambria countertops are made of natural quartz. They have the look and the feel of marble, granite or other quarried stone countertops. However, they are much stronger and nonporous. This means they won't absorb foods and liquids, so you won't have to worry about the renters damaging them by spilling punch or something else on them. The strength is great for a rental and the fact that they can be cleaned easily, with just a soft cloth and some water and mild soap is great.
Share