Effort and regular maintenance are needed in caring for a rental home. A good quality tenant knows this and would assist property owners in keeping their Old Southwest rental homes clean, maintained, and in good repair. But there will be instances where tenants, who intend to help, inadvertently cause damage to a home’s interior surfaces.
Sometimes tenants would cause unintentional damage simply because they were unaware that their effort to help would actually do the opposite. Other times, damage happens because of accidents or as the result of a tenant’s poor decision. Property owners would greatly benefit if they knew the common ways a rental home’s interior surfaces can sustain inadvertent damage. Knowing this would aid them in keeping their tenants informed and their rental homes in excellent condition.
When surface damage goes beyond basic wear and tear, tenant negligence is usually the source. Countertops, floors, and even sinks and bathtubs are being used every day and can last for many years, even under such heavy use. However, many tenants aren’t aware of the proper ways to take care of these surfaces or how to protect them.
As a case in point, kitchen and bathroom countertops can generally take daily cleanings, food preparation activities, and a few spills without a problem. But countertops can be ruined by harsh cleaning products, notably those containing bleach or ammonia. The variety of cleaning product to use depends largely on the kind of countertops you have in your rental home. This should be chosen with care.
Countertops can be damaged in several other ways; one such way is placing too much weight on a countertop. Damage could be done when there is an unusually heavy appliance or even a person standing on it. Some countertops may be damaged by placing hot pans or appliances on them, such as a toaster oven or a slow cooker.
Even a curling iron can cause burn marks on a bathroom countertop and can be difficult to remove. Cutting and chopping directly on a countertop may also damage the surface, making small indentations that can grow into bigger issues in the future.
Floors are another interior surface that tenants often accidentally damage. There are certain things that could evade even a watchful tenant’s radar. Things like small leaks under a refrigerator or a drip under the cabinet from a sink water supply line could go on unnoticed, and these could potentially cause permanent water damage in a kitchen floor.
Moving furniture is one of the biggest culprits of unintentional floor damage. Transferring heavy items by pushing them across a laminate or wood floor can cause scratches, gouging, and tears. This is usually the way most carpets get torn. Setting heavy furniture in the wrong spot can crack or chip tile floors, likewise would dropping heavy items, such as exercise weights or even books. Just like countertops, applying the wrong cleaning products can permanently damage a floor, stripping off finishes and creating unsightly stains or bleach spots.
Bathtubs can also sustain accidental damage from harsh cleaning products. The same thing is true the other way around. Not cleaning often enough allows for mineral deposits from tap water to build up. When this is left unchecked, it would come to a point where the build-up would be almost impossible to remove, or worse, allow mildew to form. This, too, is a pretty common mistake. Similar to tile, when you place anything too heavy in a bathtub, it can cause cracks. You should use the bathtub for what it was designed for. Improper use could bring about problems from unfixable scratches in a solid-surface unit to rust or coloring dye stains.
The best approach to help tenants avoid unintentionally damaging your rental home’s interior surfaces is to give them information. When they understand how to properly clean countertops, move heavy furniture, and so on, they will then be greatly helpful toward preventing expensive repairs. At Real Property Management Colonial, we speak with both tenants and property owners to guarantee that everyone involved cares for the rental home with more than just the willingness to help, but with actual knowledge as well.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
