The caring for a rental home necessitates both effort and regular maintenance. A good quality tenant recognizes this and would try and help property owners keep their Harlan Ranch 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.
There are times when a tenant causes unintentional damage because he or she sincerely did not know that their actions would result in harm. Other times, the damage is dealt because of accidents or as the result of a tenant’s poor decision. Property owners must know the most common ways a rental home’s interior surfaces can sustain inadvertent damage. This knowledge can be very helpful in keeping their tenants informed and maintaining the condition of their rental homes.
When surface damage goes beyond basic wear and tear, tenant negligence is usually the source. Countertops, floors, and even sinks and bathtubs are used every day yet will typically last for many years, even under heavy use. But some tenants don’t know the correct methods of care and protection for that these surfaces require.
As a case in point, kitchen and bathroom countertops can generally take daily cleanings, food preparation activities, and a few spills without a problem. Yet, countertops don’t fair well when cleaned with harsh cleaning products, especially 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 many ways, such as placing too much weight on a countertop. When there’s an unusually heavy appliance or even a person standing on it, the extreme weight could take a toll 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 can damage the surface as well. They could create small indentations that can turn into larger problems down the road.
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. Dragging heavy items across a laminate or wood floor can cause scratches, gouging, and tears. This is the way most carpets get torn. Placing heavy furniture in the wrong spot can crack or chip tile floors, so too would dropping heavy items, such as exercise weights or even books. Similar to 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 reverse is also true. Not cleaning often enough allows mineral deposits from tap water to build up until removing them is almost impossible, or worse, allow mildew to form. This is also quite a common mistake. Comparable to tile, a bathtub is made to hold only up to a certain weight. When you place something that is too heavy in a bathtub, it can cause cracks. Any improper use can result in a whole slew of 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 learn how to properly clean countertops, move heavy furniture, and so on, they will be able to do a lot more for preventing expensive repairs. At Real Property Management Platinum, we talk with both tenants and property owners so we can make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to taking care of the rental home. That they would have more than just a desire to help, but actual technical 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.