How to Prepare a Rental Property for a New Tenant

As a landlord, you have many tasks to take care of when preparing a rental property for someone new. In this blog post, we’ll go over steps to take before your tenant moves in. We’ll also highlight some tips that will help keep your rental property looking great.

Start with a fresh coat of paint

One thing that’s sure to be on your tenant’s list during their initial walkthrough of the property is the color scheme in the home. The best way for you as a landlord to ensure they’re happy with what they see when moving into your rental is by painting it fresh and new.

Paint will help brighten up any room or living space while bringing out its true colors. If certain areas need touching up, now would also be an appropriate time to do so before renting it out again.

Once you’ve painted all surfaces — including trim work, doors, and cabinets — let everything dry completely before doing anything else inside the house. This can take anywhere from 12 hours to over 24 hours, depending on the type of paint you used.

Keep the property clean

Although you may have already gotten rid of any old or dirty furniture pieces along with other items that no longer serve a purpose, it’s important to keep your real estate rental looking fresh and new between tenants. Never let food sit inside cabinets or on countertops, as this will only attract bugs and rodents while they’re away. In addition, you may want to open windows daily during warmer months to air everything out properly to prevent lingering odors from settling into anything left behind.

Refresh the fixtures

Kitchens and bathrooms tend to be two of the most used rooms in a home, so they must look their best when your tenant moves in. Before you do anything else inside the house, clean out both kitchens and bathrooms thoroughly, restocking them with new soap dispensers, hand towels, and toilet paper holders. You also may want to replace any old or broken flooring throughout these spaces if needed.

As far as appliances go, make sure all cabinets are closed tightly around tile countertops before moving on from each room. There should not be visible gaps between tiles/appliances anywhere within a kitchen or bathroom for safety reasons (water damage can quickly occur otherwise).

Make any necessary repairs

If there are any noticeable dents, cracks, or holes on the walls of your rental property, now is a good time to have them repaired. You don’t want to move out and then return only for these issues to be pointed out by your new tenant. Also, keep an eye open for damage that may not necessarily be visible from the surface level of the paintwork. If you suspect there’s been some sort of water leak in one area (such as behind appliances), this would also be a perfect time to investigate it further before moving forward with renting out the home again.

Clean up all dirt and grime around window sills and door jams while you’re at it, too. Make sure everything is looking like new once repairs have taken place throughout the property.

Once these repairs are done, your rental will hopefully be ready for move-in. Even though there’s a lot to do, preparing the home for new tenants is not that difficult and is worth it in the end. You’ll have a happy tenant moving into your rental while also minimizing potential issues down the line.

Organize closets and drawers

As much as you may want to use your tenant’s old sheets, linens, and towels for yourself once they move out, it’s important that you not touch anything within the property during this preparation process. Doing so can cause confusion after move-out day when their items are mixed in with yours or vice versa, ultimately leading to additional tasks on both ends before another new renter moves into the house again.

It would be helpful if all of your tenants’ belongings were clearly labeled beforehand (by them). But because there may not always be time for this ahead of the inspection date, make sure each room has plenty of empty hangers along with matching laundry baskets waiting for each closet/bathroom.

Not every tenant has the same set of standards, but most will appreciate your thoughtful preparation efforts before they move in. It’s something worth thinking about before each home inspection date throughout the year.

Finally, as a landlord, you may want to think about protecting yourself from liability if a tenant or someone else files a lawsuit against you. Forming an LLC or a corporation can help protect your personal assets and could even have tax benefits. Contact us to see how we can help you today.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.