When tenants move out of a rental property, it presents landlords with the perfect opportunity to undertake repairs, deep cleaning, redecoration, and any refurbishments required to make sure the property is in tip-top shape before new tenants move in. Whether you’re managing a standard rental or a build to rent development, preparing for new occupants requires systematic planning and various checks, but the effort pays dividends by attracting good long-term tenants more likely to properly maintain the property. Follow this comprehensive guide when preparing your rental to improve new tenant appeal and satisfaction.
Make Sure the Property is Empty
Before diving into preparations, check the property thoroughly to ensure previous occupants have fully vacated, removed all personal belongings, and surrendered all keys/fobs. It may seem obvious, but landlords have found forgotten possessions and unintentionally provided access to ex-tenants by overlooking this important first step.
It’s also wise to change the locks even if all keys appear accounted for. The extra security provides peace of mind for new occupants and landlords. Check for any potential hiding spots for spare keys just in case too. It sounds extreme but better safe than sorry down the line.
Abandoned Pets and Furniture
Irresponsible tenants may abandon furnishings, belongings, or even pets. Check everywhere including lofts, sheds, gardens, etc. Document any items left behind with photos and inform previous tenants they must collect possessions by a specific deadline or items become the landlord’s property to discard or donate to charity.
Hopefully, no abandoned pets suffer, but this unacceptable possibility has happened. So, carefully inspect for any animals neglected without food or water. If pets remain on the premises, contact animal protection charities immediately so they can properly care for them until the previous tenants retrieve them, such as the ISPCA.
Tackle Repairs and Upgrades
With the property emptied of former occupants’ possessions, landlords can focus fully on inspections, repairs and any planned/necessary upgrades or improvements. Hopefully, previous tenants will have highlighted any issues with the property, so you are not surprised by massive repairs, but don’t assume this is the case. Things like black mould infestations may have been hiddenduring property inspections or minimised, so the true nature of the problem isn’t apparent until the property has been emptied of all furniture.
Inspect everywhere—all rooms, appliances, fixtures, walls, carpets and flooring, gardens—to create an entire to-do list of repairs, maintenance, deep cleaning requirements and desired upgrades. Make a list of the tasks that need addressing, starting with the most urgent repairs and ending with the ‘would like to do’ repairs or upgrades.
Always tackle the most serious repairs as a matter of urgency. Landlord legislation has got a lot stricter in recent years, with the emphasis on protecting tenants from low-quality housing. If a landlord doesn’t maintain a property, they could be fined or even imprisoned.
Other Areas Where Repairs Might be Needed
Pay special attention to safety issues anywhere like loose carpets, damaged floorboards, cracked tiles, faulty electrics/plumbing, rotten decking, etc. Document any maintenance the previous tenants should have alerted you to like damp, mould, leaky roofs, etc. Photograph all damages for records and to recoup any refundable deposits if tenants caused any wear-and-tear or breakages beyond normal use.
Always Work with Reputable Trades When Carrying Out Repairs
Preparing rental properties fully relies on skilled tradespeople accomplishing crucial repair, maintenance and renovation tasks. Finding trusted professionals ensures work completes properly the first time around, which is critical when readying homes for incoming tenants. So, landlords should source reliable tradespeople in these key specialities.
Vet tradespeople thoroughly – check qualifications, licensing, insurances, reviews. Ideally, use referrals from landlords familiar with specialists completing quality work timely and at fair prices. Establish relationships with preferred tradespeople to rely on tackling involved rental renovation projects. They essentially safeguard your property investments by ensuring vacant rentals are adequately prepare for new occupants after previous tenants vacate.
Consider Improving the Kitchen and Bathroom
Kitchens and bathrooms bear heavy use. Tenants particularly notice outdated, damaged or poorly functioning amenities in these extremely frequented rooms. Focus repair efforts here and consider modest upgrades or small facelifts like:
Kitchen
Bathrooms
Even small-scale projects improving the aesthetics and function of kitchens and bathrooms boost rental appeal and often allow landlords to charge higher rents.
Are Kitchen and Bathroom Upgrades Worth the Money?
If smaller improvements are not going to cut it, consider replacing the entire installation with a new one.
Upgrading kitchens and bathrooms offers rental properties key benefits. Modernised cooking and washing facilities directly address what tenants use constantly daily. Installing contemporary, water-conserving fixtures also appeals to eco-conscious renters. Bathroom and kitchen facelifts need not break budgets. Strategic small-scale improvements like trendy taps, sleek cabinets, or durable floors create stylish spaces. Investing in these important rooms future-proofs against repairs. And crucially, better functioning, sensibly updated kitchens and bathrooms allow landlords to increase rents and stand out amidst competition. So,focused remodels here offer landlords reliable returns through improved rental demand and tenant retention.
Give the Property a Deep Clean
Once repairs and renovations are complete, landlords must thoroughly deep clean rental properties before a new occupant moves in. Clean every inch of all rooms—including empty cupboards, behind appliances, inside oven, behind radiators, walls, windows, etc. Ensure all rooms are decluttered and completely empty of any items not part of furnished rentals.
Deep cleaning checklist:
Work on the Exterior and Garden
Kerb appeal matters, so ensure the entire exterior looks neat, tidy and welcoming by:
Likewise, refresh gardens by:
Painting and Decorating
Neutral colour palettes using off-white or light grey paint colours keep rental décor flexible and modern. Stick to this template for a clean backdrop incoming tenants can accessorise to their style. Or simply refresh existing colour schemes if they remain attractive and unlikely to alienate prospective tenants.
Use this painting checklist to ensure all painted surfaces like walls/ceilings, doors, cabinets, trims, etc. shine in their best light:
Upgrade or Replace White Goods and Furniture Where Applicable
Part of optimising furnished or part-furnished rentals for new tenants includes evaluating the condition of existing white goods/appliances and furnishings to determine if upgrades or replacements are prudent to modernise the property. In student lets, for example, it is prudent to replace the mattresses every 2-3 years due to wear and tear, and replace the mattress protector every year.
Consider the age, functionality and energy efficiency of appliances like fridges, freezers, stoves and ovens, washing machines and tumble dryers. Repair or replace any units over 10 years old or no longer functioning optimally. Make sure you have an appliance repair and replacement cover in place, to make things easier when an appliance breaks down.
Additionally, upgrade fixtures like lighting, taps, showerheads and toilets to more eco-friendly models that appeal to sustainability-focused tenants. Evaluate the quality of any existing furniture to decide if refreshed furnishings could command higher rents. Especially focus on improving beds and other upholstered pieces that face daily use. Install blackout window treatments to add value. Approach upgrades with an eye toward responsible returns balancing rental property renewal with your budget.
Last-Minute Tasks
If you manage your own properties and you want to welcome your new tenant, consider buying them some flowers or a bottle of wine, so you get your relationship on the right footing.
Be Mindful of Landlord Legislation
Throughout the process of preparing a property for a tenant, it is essential that you pay close attention to your responsibilities under the law.
Ireland has introduced various pieces of legislation in recent years to regulate the rental sector and provide greater security and rights for tenants.
Key laws include the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the Residential Tenancies Act (Amendment) 2019, which outline the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in the private rented sector regarding issues like termination of tenancies, rent increases, and dispute resolution.
The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 sets minimum physical standards that rental properties must meet in areas like structural condition, heating, ventilation, lighting, and fire safety. The regulations give local authorities the power to inspect and enforce these standards. This aims to improve the generally poor condition of parts of Ireland’s rental stock.
Other relevant legislation includes the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which requires landlords to register tenancies, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, which restricted when landlords can terminate tenancies and increased notice periods, and the Residential Tenancies (No.2) Act 2021.
Most recently, efforts have focused on controlling rising rents, with a new rent pressure zone system that caps rent increases in certain areas.
Following this start-to-finish guide setting your rental property in order should result in happy incoming tenants and a mutually beneficial landlord-tenant relationship built on transparency and good communication. Maintaining rental properties properly demonstrates responsible property management tenants seek when choosing their home. So, the effort invested into renewing rentals between occupants directly leads to finding and retaining ideal long-term tenants every landlord desires.
