Homeowners often struggle to make their property rent ready on short notice. The problem can be even bigger when it’s a vacation rental. There are so many factors to look into and so many things to take care of. If you are not living near your property, it can be a lot of work.
But that doesn’t mean it is impossible or you need to spend tons of money to make your property rent ready in time. Today we have compiled different tips, tricks, ideas, and ways to get a rent ready property in no time.
However, remember that not all of these ideas will work for everyone. Everyone has a unique circumstance and following every piece of advice word-to-word may not be effective. Instead, try to pick up the general principles of making a property rent ready. Once you know how to solve the usual challenges associated with property management and maintenance, your work will be much easier.
Things to keep in mind before taking any steps
Here are a few things to keep in mind at all times throughout the process:
- Do not rush things
- Never compromise on safety
- Do not settle for the first option that comes to mind
- Seek professionals when you are in a rut
That being said, let’s discover everything you need to know about getting your property rent ready.
Deep/power cleaning
There’s no going around this – you need to clean your property before you rent it out to someone else. The difference lies in the nature of the cleaning. When you know you’ll have a vacated property for months, you can overlook many things. The same is not the case for a rental property. It has to be sparkling clean before anyone steps in to live in it. Doing all of it can be quite a challenge for anyone.
For vacation rentals, cleaning is an even more important issue. In many ways, it is the first and most important thing to look into before getting your property rent ready. When guests come to a holiday resort, they expect everything to be clean. That means you cannot get away with cleaning only a few sections of a building.
Now that we have laid out how crucial cleaning is, let’s find out how to tackle it.
First, you need a room-by-room plan. Within that plan, you should rank rooms according to how much effort will go into cleaning them. Tackle the dirtiest rooms first. Hire a cleaning agency if you need to. If it’s manageable to do alone or with friends/family, get all the required supplies first. If you cannot finish the entire property in one day, come back again the next day. Doing slowly and diligently will give much better results.
It is also worthwhile to invest in high-end cleaning equipment. The worse your tools are, the longer it’s going to take. Use high-quality detergents and cleaning solvents. With proper planning and quality cleaning tools, getting your property rent ready becomes smooth and seamless.
Paints
After cleanliness, the first thing that anyone who walks into a house sees is the paint. If it’s old and chipped off, that does not give a very good impression. For vacation rentals, paints are even more important. Everything from how much traffic you get to how much you charge depends a lot on paints.
For any paint job of a sizable scale, it is often the best idea to get in touch with a professional painter or agency. Professionals will have the finesse and skill that amateurs lack. In many cases, those fine details make a world of difference. Paint is of utmost importance in any property, vacation or otherwise. You would not want to experiment on it with amateur skills.
Apart from wall painters, you would also need an interior designer who can advise on the color palettes and combinations. There is a deep relationship between colors and moods. Your bedroom, for example, should not have pop colors. Color and light also work together to make magic. A qualified interior designer will be able to help through all of these. If you are getting new furniture, even that should be color coordinated.
To avoid any hassle in the painting process, consider working closely with professionals. You can give a general idea of what you want and let them do the rest. You can take more responsibilities in hand as well, but it will also take more time and commitment. Keep that in mind before you take the responsibility head-on.
Minor maintenance
Not every maintenance issue is major. Some are so small that we often overlook them. When preparing a house for rental, there are many small things to look into. While we pay a lot of attention to major repairs, fixes, and maintenance, overlooking minor repairs is not desirable.
Small things like heater and cooler pipe changes, light bulb fixes, small plumbing issues – these things play a key role in making a property rent ready. Overall, you need to pay attention to minor everyday things that go bad very easily. It can include anything from changing pillows to fixing induction stoves.
When dealing with potentially hundreds of things to deal with, a checklist is the only way to go. Spend time making a detailed checklist of everything you need to fix. You might need to do these small things yourself since professional services do not address such differing and trivial issues. Having a few helping hands would be a bonus.
If you use high-quality products on your property, the need for repairs and maintenance goes down. Instead of buying cheap items every year, buy quality items once and use them for a long time. That way, the overall work that you have to do goes down.
When making a checklist of things to take care of, do not forget the obvious things. Also, some things fall under both minor and major repairs. Place it in whichever category you think would be right. When planned correctly, taking care of minor property issues can be much simpler.
Major repairs
Just like minor repairs, you should also have a checklist for all major repair and maintenance projects. Before you set about making the checklist, you should have complete knowledge of how everything is on the property. One good idea is to inspect everything as you go. That way, you will have a list of both minor and major repairs.
Many people prefer to outsource all the repairing and maintenance tasks of major appliances and fixtures. In our opinion, that is a good way of doing it. However, professional repairs can be very costly. If you are keen on saving money, you can do a few simple replacements or repairs yourself.
Major repairs include everything from a refrigerator to HVAC systems to plumbing. For things like plumbing, you would often need a professional. However, many of the appliance changes can be done without any professional help. Especially if something is out of order and getting it repaired would cost both time and money, it is a better idea to get a new one. It will last longer and make the repairing process less cumbersome. You can do this for many electrical equipment around the property, be it electric curtains or washing machine or exhaust systems.
When looking at major repairs, it is also important to know how much it’ll cost. Try to get multiple quotes if it is a big order. Once you have options to choose from, you’ll get the most value for money.
Landscaping and exterior decor
If your property has a front or back yard, how well you use it will determine how much you earn from the property. Landscaping is very important for yards to have an aesthetic appeal. Moreover, there are various landscaping ideas to choose from. Whether you like gravel, mulch, or plants, there are options for every type of material.
Landscaping is a fun project if you have the time and money to spend on it. There are so many things you can do with your outdoor spaces. If you are inclined to take it to the next level, consider getting a swimming pool or something else that is grand. If you do not want something that grand, you can have a simple walkway with plants and grasses.
However, landscaping comes with a maintenance cost. You can buy plants and trees that require less care, but someone would still have to look after it. Without timely trimming, cleaning, and maintenance, your garden will soon turn into a jungle.
Landscaping is one of the most important components of making your property rent ready. For vacation rentals, landscaping is even more important.
If you are keen on landscaping well, consider getting a professional to do it for you. However, if you already have a nice outdoor space, you can get away with routine maintenance and cleaning. The investment that you put into landscaping will pay off very soon since the rate of your property will also go up.
Take care of the legal responsibilities
Putting a property on rental comes with many legal responsibilities. First, you must have all your documents clear and verified. Then you must undertake a tenant screening procedure or at least background check the people who are going to stay on your property. Doing these things will keep you safe from any legal trouble.
You must also inform your mortgage lender, if any, about the rental. More importantly, homeowners should inform insurance providers about the change in tenancy. It is also a good chance to shop around for a better insurance quote.
If you are leasing out the property for a long-term rental, it is crucial to undertake a thorough background check of the tenants. You must look for things like their health history, criminal records, credit scores, and so on. Do not rent your property to someone who shows suspicious traits.
Before you rent out your property, it is a good idea to sit down with your lawyer and review the local rental laws. If something seems off, fix it with the help of your lawyer. The longer you leave it unchecked, the more severe it will become.
Finally, it is important to draft an immaculate rental contract that does not leave anything to ambiguity. Get professional help to draft to a robust contract and have your tenants go through it beforehand. Doing these things will ensure that the rental process goes smoothly. For long-term vacation rentals, it is crucial to sort out the legal aspects.
Hire a property management company like Haustay in San Diego
The last thing you need to do to make your property rent ready is to hire a property management agency. All the pointers that we talked about will become much easier if there’s a property management team that is working for you. If you have a vacation rental property, having a dedicated vacation rental manager will be more helpful than you would think.
A rental manager will be able to guide you though many things that come up in the process of renting out your property. It will get very complicated to mange the process if you do not have a manager working for you. Moreover, if you do not live in the same area, it will be nearly impossible to manage every aspect of the rental process. With a manager, all these considerations are taken care of.
Before you hire a property manager, you should check how well they have performed in the past. Look for what their clients have to say and go through their websites. A good property manager should be able to help you through different aspects of renting and property management. Unless you find the right manager, keep the search on.
If you have any questions please reach out to the pros at Haustay today!
We hope this compilation will help you prepare better for your rentals. When dealing with a vacation rental property, getting it rent ready can be quite difficult. To go through the process seamlessly, get professional help wherever required. Doing so will make things much easier for you.
