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.

1. The location of the stopcock

In case of emergencies involving water, such as unexpected flooding or leaks in the property, or if the pipes burst during a cold winter, it’s essential to know where the stopcock is located so the water can be turned off.

It’s one of the first questions a plumber will ask if they come around to help sort out a problem and being able to turn the water off could prevent serious damage to your property. Common places where a stopcock may be located include under the sink, in the airing cupboard or even in the garage.

2. The location of the mains electricity switch

It’s important to know the location of the mains electricity switch in case there’s a problem with the electricity and it needs to be turned off. It’s also handy to know where the circuit breaker is located and how to reset it, in case the electrics trip at any time.

3. How to turn the gas off

In the case of a gas leak occurring, one of the first pieces of information given to anyone phoning a gas service helpline is to turn the gas off at the mains. To avoid any confusion with tenants about where the gas switch is, giving them the information could help prevent the situation getting worse.

Even if you’re using an agency who’ll respond to emergency calls, equipping your tenants with the details of where they can find these switches can save valuable time – as well as lives.

As tenants are not likely to need the information all that often, and may forget the locations if informed verbally, it’s useful to leave written details somewhere in the property so they can be accessed if required.