Top tips for preparing your rental property to let
When landlords are preparing a rental property for the letting market, they often get caught up in the big decisions and forget to consider smaller issues. These smaller issues can become big problems if they are ignored.
So when you come to prepare your rental property, what are the key things you should be thinking about?
Regardless of what type of rental property you have, be it a flat, house or something else, there are 3 key areas that you need to consider:
- Compliance
- Comfort
- Crappy stuff
I like to think of these as the 3 Cs, and I know right off the bat that some people won’t like me referring to the last one as the “crappy stuff”. But it is my own term that I feel accurately describes all the little bits and bobs that are often overlooked when preparing a property for rental.
Compliance for your rental property
Before you advertise your rental property, you need to make sure that your property is completely up to scratch on all the legal requirements that you, as a landlord, need to fulfil. We have
previously done a whole blog simply on compliance; you can check it out here. But as a brief summary, you need to make sure the following main areas are compliant with the current rental regulations:
- EICR electrical safety certificate
- Gas Safety certificate
- Energy Performance Certificate – Minimum Band E or Exemption Certificate for Bands F and G
- HETAS certificate for wood burners, fireplaces, etc.
You will also need to consider other health and safety items within the rental property. Health and safety requirements do vary somewhat depending on the type of property, but there is a basic requirement for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. You need to ensure they are working correctly and are ready to go. For specific advice on what health and safety requirements you will need for your rental property, give us a call and we would be happy to help.
Considering comfort when preparing your rental property
Comfort is my broad term for the look, layout and feel of the property. This covers a whole host of things but the key is to consider both the practicality of living in the space and the ability to make the rental property homely.
If you are re-decorating the rental property, consider how your choices will impact the future tenants both in terms of practicality and comfort. For example, some landlords go all out on expensive but hard to maintain carpets and surfaces, while others go for choosing carpets that would look more at home in the world’s dullest office block. Ideally, you want a balance between the two.
Broadly speaking, here are some things to consider when looking at the comfort aspects of your rental property.
- Flooring
- Is it clean and well maintained?
- There are no frayed edges, loose boards, or tiles not stuck down properly.
- It is amazing what a good carpet cleaner can do. Make sure you keep receipts from having flooring professionally cleaned; it means you can ask for your tenants to provide the same when they leave.
- Decoration
- White is good, no cutting in!
- Matt white is easy to match and no one will use a silk finish.
- It is easy to touch up and easy to clean (recommend a magic eraser for odd scuffs).
- The overall look is clean and crisp.
- Cleaning
- A property needs more than a hoover and a dust; pay attention to those areas that often get missed.
- Skirting boards, door panels, those bits behind curtains and blinds that you can’t normally see – the attention to detail means that your tenants can appreciate that they are getting a nice property.
- It also encourages them to keep it in a nice condition.
- Kitchens
- Check the silicon, grouting on splash-backs and appliances are clean and not just the obvious things like the cooker, back of the freezer compartment or the detergent drawer in a washing machine.
- Also, make sure that cupboards are clean and doors and drawers are functioning as they should – no one likes a sticky draw when viewing a rental property!
- Bathrooms
- Again, silicon and grouting are a must-do.
- Even brave cleaning out the shower trap (Ewwww) and the showerhead.
- Consider replacing the showerhead if water flow is poor – it will save you doing it within days of a tenant moving in.
- If you have a shower curtain and it isn’t pristine then take it out. Tenants can put their own in, but make sure the rail is secure.
- Outside spaces
- Is the garden, patio, or other outdoor space clear, clean and tidy?
- Are the fences, gates and doors well maintained, neat and functioning as they should?
Crappy stuff
This section is really about all the little bits you may have forgotten or which don’t fall into the previous two sections. This is the stuff that is consistently overlooked by many landlords and it makes a big difference if you get this section just right when looking to let out your rental property. The biggest benefit is that when tenants first move in, there should be far fewer teething problems as you would have considered all the things which might normally come to light as a niggly issue in the first few weeks of a tenant moving in.
It may be that I have included items already that you hadn’t considered, but there are more besides.
- Windows
- Do they open and close easily?
- Are there sufficient window lock keys (and do you have a spare for yourself, just in case)?
- Hinges and handles all working fine; nothing out of line?
- Doors
- Same as above. Please make sure you have a spare key clearly labelled just in case of an emergency.
- Blinds
- Are the cords secured? If not, they need a hook or fastening; no cords should be left loose.
- Also, check that the blind is functioning properly; the same applies to curtains and curtain tracks.
- Check for stains and marks that may not be obvious.
- Manuals
- Do you have instructions for the heating controls, or how to program the electric heaters?
- You definitely need instructions on how to set the clock on the oven – it’s amazing how many don’t work if the timer is set rather than the clock. It’s easily done but a pain to sort out.
- Some of the best landlords I have dealt with have a fantastic “welcome pack”, which includes all the manuals in a big folder for the new tenants as well as any other useful information the tenants might want about the property.
- Lightbulbs
- Might be obvious but no one wants to come into a property where lightbulbs are either missing or don’t work, certainly with recessed spotlights that can cause all sorts of problems.
- Sockets and switches
- Not loose and all working properly
- Also, consider aerial points and telephone sockets
- Internal doors
- Handles and hinges: do they close properly, are they catching on flooring, do they need adjusting?
- Outside
- Are there any hazards to consider?
- Check for loose or cracked slabs?
- Are any steps safe to use?
- Does the decking need jet washing?
- Have you considered handrail requirements?
The list could probably go on and on, and you probably think it is a bit overkill. But let’s be honest; if you were living in a rental property and there were all these little niggly issues you would likely become frustrated as well. You might not worry about a door handle in your own home, but by making everything as functioning as possible at the start of the tenancy it should mean that you will minimize any issues right from the beginning. You are helping to ensure a smoother tenancy period for all involved.