Freshen Up Your Rental Property

This story was printed from CompleteLandlord.com,located at
12/17/2007
Topic: Property Maintenance and Repair

As a small landlord, I am always looking for easy ways to spruce up my rentals without spending a lot of money. My tenants appreciate the continued attention that is paid to their rental and I have a more rentable property for the future. Here are a few ideas for easy updates on your rental units that will not only freshen up your property, but also will help keep tenants happy:

• Repainting kitchen cabinets in a rental that looked outdated and unstylish can change the entire feel of the property. Sometimes all it takes is a can of paint, which you can purchase cheaply by asking a local paint store for returned paint. The gallon of semi-gloss set me back only $5.
  
• Buying a new shower curtain is something you should always do between tenants. When showing off a property, the last thing you want a prospective tenant to see is the grime on your previous tenant’s shower curtain.
  
• Tile a foyer to add a distinctive feature to your rental unit. Most rentals have linoleum entryways, so tiling your foyer puts your rental a step above the rest. I recently tiled an 8’ by 8’ foyer and paid only $125 for materials.
  
• Replacing the doors in your rental can be a surprisingly cheap way to make a change to your property. Basic hollow-core doors cost about $20, but spend $10 more and get six panel doors to add a luxurious, stylish feel to your rental.
  

Rehabbing your rental doesn’t have to mean expensive, time-consuming projects, so don’t put it off until your property is out of date and shabby looking. Instead, make small, inexpensive changes regularly.