An Owners Guide to Preparing Your Home for Rent
While it may be the law that as the owner you only have to have the property "reasonably clean and tidy" when you hand it over to your new tenants, experience has shown that by having good presentation one not only avoids any arguments at the end about what wasn't clean at the start, you set an example of how you expect the property handed back.
Give the house a really good clean and pay attention to bathrooms and kitchen. Wipe out all drawers and shelves including the top of cupboards. The oven and stove top should be free of marks, floors should be clean including corners and skirtings.
In the bedrooms make sure cupboards are clean inside and out. If you or other previous occupants had a pet, then commercial carpet cleaning is both courteous and desirable. Give light switches and light shades a clean.
If you are renting the house furnished, have a critical look at furniture. Old is fine so long as it is in good repair and clean. Don't leave extra beds unless you don't mind extra tenants! Provide mattress and pillow protectors as beds can get really grubby without them. The properties we manage do not have any bedding or towels provided. We specialise in long term managements only so tenants are expected to provide their own.
Remove anything that is personal, precious or valuable. The tenant will be making the house their home for a length of time so do remove your photos, knickknacks and collections which would mean no space for the tenant to have their own things.
Keep kitchen appliances to a minimum. As the owner you will be responsible for repairs and maintenance so best not to leave behind a big collection of rice cookers, toastie pie makers and coffee machines. Stick to the basics like a jug, toaster and microwave.
The garden should be mowed, "weed-eated" at edges and free of rubbish. Pay attention to anything that may be a safety hazard and make sure you comply with the latest legislation requiring working smoke alarms (long life, photo electric type).
These are jobs you can either do yourself or we are happy to arrange professionals to take care of the jobs for you leaving you with more time to spend with family and friends.