Changing the carpet in your Hollywood Park rental home regularly is necessary, but most property owners don’t enjoy it. Have you ever considered eliminating the carpet from your rental home altogether? More rental property owners are switching from wall-to-wall carpeting to hard-surface flooring. If this suggestion seems drastic, consider these reasons why getting rid of the carpet makes sense for both landlords and tenants.
Carpets may harbor dirt and odor
Maintaining carpet cleanliness in a rental home is one of the most difficult tasks. Although you may clean the carpets professionally between tenants, they might not take care of them during their tenancy. Should your tenants stay for many years, the carpets may gather dirt and grime for an extended period.
Carpet fibers are infamous for retaining bad smells, especially if not cleaned properly and often. Even if tenants clean the carpet, they likely avoid the cost of hiring someone or the time required to do it themselves.
On the contrary, hard-surface flooring like laminate or tile is easy to clean. This type of flooring can be scrubbed to shine in minutes and as often as tenants like, ensuring no unpleasant stains or smells. Hard-surface flooring is much more sanitary for young children and those with respiratory or other health issues than carpet.
Avoid soaked carpets in case of a flood
Another reason to forgo carpets is the difficulty of cleaning them after water leaks and floods. Even a minor plumbing problem can result in significant flooding in a rental, and wet carpets can become a serious issue.
Soaked carpets must be removed, and the subflooring, pad, and carpet must be dried immediately and thoroughly to avoid mold growth. If the carpet cannot be dried, it has to be replaced. If you fail to address a flooding situation promptly and correctly, you could risk your residents’ health and face serious liability.
Most hard-surface flooring, except natural hardwood, is much easier to handle during a flood. When properly installed, most laminate and vinyl types are highly water-resistant and can be dried efficiently. This means expensive restoration services or flooring replacement won’t be needed, just some focused clean-up.
Hardwood floors have a longer lifespan
It’s widely understood that carpets must be replaced every five years. Some landlords try to stretch this to seven years or longer—generally to their disadvantage. Most tenants aren’t keen on living with old, worn, or stained carpets. If the carpet is not replaced regularly, tenants may consider moving out.
Old carpeting looks bad and can be dangerous. As carpets age, tacks can protrude and injure those walking on them. Cheap carpets, in particular, don’t endure more than a few years in rental properties.
Hard-surface flooring, in contrast, has a much longer lifespan. Though tenants could damage hard-surface floors, most tile or laminate flooring will last at least ten to twenty years. Laminate flooring is priced similarly to carpet but doesn’t need to be replaced as often, making it a better rental choice.
Ditch the outdated look of carpets
Finally, wall-to-wall carpet can sometimes make a rental property look dated. Modern homes usually limit carpeting, often to the bedrooms or not at all.
To update your rental’s appearance, consider installing attractive laminate or tile flooring instead of carpet in the main areas. Unlike carpet, which tenants cannot change, hard-surface flooring allows them to add rugs or other décor items to personalize the space while maintaining cleanliness and longevity.
Modern laminate tile offers a variety of sizes, colors, and patterns, including wood-look tiles that can enhance your rental without the cost and hassle of natural hardwood.
Explore the advantages of hard-surface flooring for rental properties. Contact Real Property Management First Class at 210-444-2070 or online for cost-saving tips on creating appealing, long-lasting interiors that tenants will love. Our property managers in Hollywood Park focus on lowering maintenance costs without sacrificing tenant appeal.
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