Carpeting in a rental?

Question

I am trying to stay away from buying properties with carpeting.

Does that make sense?

I will take it into account if the deal is good, but my mind set is that carpet will cost me money every time the unit is turned over.

I figure wood floors/laminate will be easier to manage in the long run.

Thoughts?

Patrick L. · Answer

Who cares if it has carpet in it when you buy it?  Flooring is just part of the rehab cost like anything else.

I don't put carpet in but it doesn't stop me from buying properties that already have carpet.  If I can get one tenant out of the existing carpet then great but if not I'll go ahead and put something like Allure vinyl plank flooring in  that's pretty much indestructible.

Jassem A. · Answer

I prefer a house without carpet but I'll still buy one that has it since the cost to replace it with laminate or paint the hardwood underneath is pretty low and requires less maintenance

I will usually leave the carpet there until it is destroyed which is usually after 1 or 2 tenants

Richard C. · Answer

Carpet is disgusting.  Look at it under a microscope sometime.

Chris Stromdahl · Answer

@Dan Perrott

Nice Dan. Thank you for the input.

Dan Perrott · Answer

I am currently updating my rental units to the manufactured floating wood floors and/or ceramic.  These floors outlast carpet, are easier to clean, and are cheaper (in the long term) than carpeting.

I do all of the installation myself so I do save additional $ in the long run.   For example, I am laying this weekend 600 sqft of manufactured wood flooring for about $900.  It will outlast carpeting and is cheaper to install.

Jesse Waters · Answer

One of my units is currently turning over.  The upstairs carpets are in good shape, but the down stairs carpets are in rough shape & need to be replaced.  I think I am going to bite the bullet & go with tile that looks like hardwood on the lower level.  Tile seems to be very durable & should save me money in the long run.  Looks like it will be about $175/sqft plus installation.  Fortunately, its on a slab, so installation should be fairly simple.

Chris Stromdahl · Answer

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

This type of help is what makes BP so amazing!

Gavin M. · Answer

also when you look under the furnace vent check out the subfloor..... you could have particle board under there. If there is make sure to figure that in price... it needs to come up if anything but carpet is going back in

Kimberly H. · Answer

I would buy it if it has carpet if there is room in the budget to replace, BUT make sure you take floor vents out and look to see what is under the carpet...if there is asbestos tile your going to need to spend big bucks to remove it properly.

We do plan to put try vinyl plank in the next rental when the carpet needs replacing. We plan to just paint or stain the stairs when the carpet comes off of them instead of putting the plank on the stairs.

Jesse Waters · Answer

I wouldn't not buy a place just because it has carpet, particularly if it is in good shape.  You can always replace it with something else after your first or second turn over.  That will give you time to save for your new flooring rather than paying it all up front.

Carpeting in a rental?

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