Give the Inside of the Property a Thorough Check

If your property has been off the market and let for some time, for example with long-term tenants in residence, then now is the perfect time to get inside and do a thorough check.

You’d expect there to be at least some maintenance that needs to be attended to, for general wear and tear, and with tenants moved out you can check the property from top to bottom. It’s also a good time to do any decorating or simple touch-ups that might need attention, such as painting skirting boards replacing floor tiles and generally making the property presentable.

Do Outside Maintenance Tasks

It’s not just the inside of the property you need to be thinking about – don’t forget the outside too. If everything had been ticking along well, then the chances are that the property hasn’t had much attention for a while, but simple outdoor maintenance tasks, like giving the property a lick of paint, cleaning the windows, painting the window frames or clearing out the gutters can give it a new lease of life.

If the property has a garden, then give it a tidy up, mow the lawn, cut back any overgrown hedges or plants. Tidy the area around the front door too, re-paint the door and make sure the entrance area looks appealing.

First impressions count and, when you’re trying to promote the property for new tenants, it will look more appealing if the property looks clean and tidy, inside and out, and could help influence how quickly you get a tenant.

If the amount of maintenance and upkeep needed for properties are key concerns for you, then it’s definitely worth carefully thinking about what type of property you want to purchase. Newly built property and off plan properties may win over with their short term benefits of being low on maintenance and upkeep. If the properties have been built and finished well, then in theory they shouldn’t need too much maintenance to be done for a while.

Depending on their age and the overall state of the property, then there may be a tendency for older properties to be more likely to require regular maintenance and upkeep.

However, this isn’t to say that old build properties can’t be low maintenance too. If they’ve been well kept and cared for, in the long-term they may offer benefits for being sturdier than some new builds, with more substantial and thicker walls. 

If you’re not that keen on having to sort maintenance and upkeep problems on rental property out yourself, then it’s a good idea to use a letting or rental management agent. They’ll handle the full lettings process for you, including any problems that arise, and will have a list of reliable handymen to call on in times of need, which takes the hassle away from you and gives you more time to focus on the business side of property investing.

Old build versus new build and off plan property, part 1 – Cost

Old build versus new build and off plan property, part 2 – Renting

Blocked gutters

It’s easy for gutters to become blocked, with leaves, moss and other debris and, whilst they may be fine left like this for a while, if the weather turns and brings sudden heavy rain or snow showers, it can pose a problem.

If there’s nowhere for the rain water to drain, then it will end up overflowing. As well as being an initial inconvenience to have water flowing where it shouldn’t, it can cause serious long-term damage to your property too, causing fascias, soffits and windows to rot and encouraging dampness.

The problem isn’t always helped by tenants not immediately noticing the issue, for example, if the gutters are overflowing at the back of the house.

Of course, the chances of this happening can be reduced by regularly having the gutters cleared out. It’s a good idea to do it in the autumn or early winter, after leaves have fallen and before the weather turns and to give them another clearout in the spring. 

Loose tiles

In heavy rain, snow and wind, it’s not unusual for tiles to become loose on the roof or even blow off. No landlord wants to be left with tiles that have blown off their properties, but it’s sadly not always something that tenants notice.

To check no tiles are loose, or have disappeared, an annual or twice annual maintenance check could help notice tile issues before they become too much of a problem. So get your maintenance check booked in before the weather turns and such services are in even more demand.

If you do experience problems at any of your properties, then your tenants will appreciate it if you help sort out the problem quickly. One of the benefits of using a property management company is that they should have a list of reliable maintenance engineers handy and should deal with problems promptly.