Changing the locks can be a costly procedure and something you may not have given a second thought too. But some landlords have had incidents when past tenants have kept copies of door keys and come back to the property long after they’ve officially left (one female tenant, for example, got a nasty shock when a past tenant let himself back into the property very unexpectedly).

It’s particularly worth giving thought to in cases where the tenants have left on bad terms – perhaps through not paying their rate, falling out with the property management company or due to being evicted – as they be more likely to think in malicious terms and misuse door keys still in their possession. Even when all the keys are seemingly handed in, it’s very easy for duplicate copies to have been made.

If you are thinking of having the locks changed between tenants, then make sure you allow plenty of time to book the lock change in and ensure that everyone has the correct versions of the keys. This includes a property management company, who make keep master keys on file, as well as new tenants and, of course, yourself.

Consider new doors

When you’ve bought a new property and are getting ready to let it out, or are doing a quick revamp in between tenants, then changing the interior doors could help lift the look and help revive the property.

Interior doors can inevitably suffer from wear and tear, as most of them will be used on a daily basis. Not all tenants will take good care of a property, banging doors, sticking things on them and knocking them, for example when children play with toys that knock into doors.

In addition, older houses may still have older style doors on them (look for doors that are completely flat, rather than panelled and doors where the handles are higher up than modern doors) which, unless you are keen on promoting a period look, can date the interior of a property.

Changing the doors is an easy and relatively inexpensive way of helping spruce up the interior of a rental property and give it a more modern or up-to-date look at the same time. If you’re in contact with any local trades people, or have your own account at a trade store, then it’s worth keeping an eye out for offers on doors. From experience, they do frequently tend to have good door deals, especially if you’re buying more than one, and it can help cut the cost for landlords.

If there are any rooms of the property that tend to be particularly dark, such as a dark hallway or kitchen, then you could help add a bit more light into the house by choosing half glazed doors.

Once the doors are purchased, all you need to is hang them, fit door furniture (handles etc) and paint them. If you don’t fancy doing it yourself, then this is an ideal job for a maintenance person. Painting the doors finishes them off well, but if you’re pushed for time or needing to cut costs further, you can leave the doors unpainted if you wish.