How do you tenant proof your rentals? I was listening to BP show 48 and they gave a few ideas. I listed a few of them they discussed plus some from this post. What else do you do? • Screen tenants thoroughly • Use 5/8 drywall • led lighting in common places • ceramic tile or LVP flooring • Satin/semi-gloss paint for easy cleaning • tenant tip letters Any tips on toilets that don't clog easily? what else do you do?

@Bronson Simmons I don’t typically have very many problems. One piece of advice is use the same color paint in all your rentals. Much easier to patch walls and do touch ups when you have a turnover. Hope that helps.

Yes! We do that as well. We often use peel and stick vinyl flooring in sink bases.

@Bronson Simmons, We always give our tenants at move in we give them a bug spray (if you see ants, spray. If you see them again, spray a 2nd, 3rd time-- if that doesn't work call me), and a thing of GREEN GOBLER. This stuff is amazing, and safe for toilets. I explain to people to do it overnight, and then boil water pour it down-- it works WONDERS. Also make sure to add hair catchers in the bathtubs, it's $5, but if it saves you from a plumbing call--it's worth it! A few people also say that they leave them plungers. The more tools you can give the tenants the better, as they can fix it themselves first before needing to call you. In our lease it clearly says-- nothing other than TP, and if they cause a clog it's on them. Hope this helps!

If there is a sink food disposal/in sink aerator I have it removed. When those go bad they leak and no one notices for a long time.

@Joel Allen When we bought our first property we tore up the 30+ year old carpet and found pretty nice hardwood floors underneath, but in almost every unit it looked like someone had varnished AROUND the edges of a room sized rug. I was truly puzzled by that; why would those old timers varnish around a rug? I found out when I was purchasing a nice rug for my dining room; the guy at the rug store ask me if I had hardwood and told me I would need to get a rug pad to protect my hardwood or the friction between the rug and the floor would eventually rub off the finish. I suspect that is what happened in the apartments; We refinished the floors in the apartments and now we require rug pads in units with hardwood flooring.

@Bronson Simmons A few tips that I've picked up over the years: 1. Minimize unnecessary landscaping - Too many bushes, shrubs, and specialty plants are unlikely to be fully maintained. Depending on your location and climate, consider low-maintenance options such xeriscape, rubber mulch, etc. In particular, remove all bushes around the outdoor HVAC condenser unit...they'll get overgrown, restrict airflow to the condenser, deposit debris into the condenser, and ultimately make it less efficient. 2. One of my rentals has hardwood floors (was already installed when I purchased the home). I installed a built-in shoe shelf/bench inside the front door to encourage the tenants to remove shoes when entering the home. I also require all furniture placed on the hardwood floors to have felt pads placed under the legs. Dirt/sand/pebbles on the bottoms of shoes and furniture legs sliding across the floor can both do significant damage to hardwoods. 3. If the power gets knocked out, the tenant's first concern isn't going to be whether or not the sump pump is working. So I had a sump pump battery backup installed. It activates whenever the primary pump is not working (e.g. power outages) and continues to pump water preventing a flooded basement. Make sure you choose a sealed battery (which is virtually maintenance-free) vs. wet battery (which require periodic refill of distilled water). It's a few hundred dollar initial investment, but well worth it to prevent a multi-thousand dollar basement repair later.

Agreed! We learned this one the hard way and damaged subfloor on a pier and beam house. We install WeatherTech mats under all the sinks in the bathrooms and kitchens. The mats are like $30-$50 depending on the size and we charge the tenants if they're damaged or removed upon move-out.

@Bronson Simmons For #13, I’d be cautious about swinging the pendulum too far and removing items that you and I consider necessary in our own homes (window blinds, towel racks). If we don’t provide the basics, don’t be surprised if our tenants put their creativity and problem-solving to work (think Batman bedsheets in the windows and a pull-up bar screwed into the bathroom wall).

How do you tenant-proof your rentals?

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How do you tenant-proof your rentals?

Bronson Simmons

Investor · Summerville, SC · Member since 2021 · 22 posts · 11 votes

How do you tenant proof your rentals? I was listening to BP show 48 and they gave a few ideas. I listed a few of them they discussed plus some from this post. What else do you do?

Screen tenants thoroughly
Use 5/8 drywall
led lighting in common places
ceramic tile or LVP flooring
Satin/semi-gloss paint for easy cleaning
tenant tip letters

Any tips on toilets that don't clog easily? what else do you do?

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Derrick E.

Investor · The Creek, WV · Member since 2014 · 890 posts · 1k+ votes

Two things I do in addition to what you listed.

I use the same color of paint in all of my rentals. Grey and white. This makes it much easier to touch up and keep track of.

Second thing. Under the sinks, I put down some vinyl or something similar. If there is a leak it will not ruin the floor of the cabinet and tenants are more likely to see/notice it. Most people don't look under there very often. This has really helped over the years.

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Cameron TopePro Member
Property Manager · Katy, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
Originally posted by @Derrick E.:
Two things I do in addition to what you listed.
I use the same color of paint in all of my rentals. Grey and white. This makes it much easier to touch up and keep track of.

Second thing. Under the sinks, I put down some vinyl or something similar. If there is a leak it will not ruin the floor of the cabinet and tenants are more likely to see/notice it. Most people don't look under there very often. This has really helped over the years.

Agreed! We learned this one the hard way and damaged subfloor on a pier and beam house.
We install WeatherTech mats under all the sinks in the bathrooms and kitchens. The mats are like $30-$50 depending on the size and we charge the tenants if they're damaged or removed upon move-out.

[email protected]832-770-7090
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