5 Steps to Make Sure that Your Apartment is Rent-Ready

Sprucing up your vacant unit before the new tenants arrive is a must for anyone who seeks to maximize revenue for their property. But if you’re actually in this type of business, you’re very well aware of the fact that it’s much easier said than done.

Re-leasing a property can be a huge hassle in itself, and making it more appealing to new tenants can be even more challenging at times. That’s why we give you 5 easy steps you should consider when making your apartment rent-ready.

Think Like a Renter

If you’re looking to make a few changes to your renting unit, but you don’t have enough time or resources to do everything that you feel that needs to be done, we’d recommend you to try to understand the renter mindset. Just put yourself in the position of a potential renter and think about what would you find important if you were renting an apartment.

Most renters actually don’t care if you have new doors and windows, or if the pillowcases match the drapes. What you need to focus on instead is making the unit functional and aesthetically appealing.

Make Your Unit Squeaky Clean

One of the first things that you need to do when the old tenants leave your apartment is to clean the place top to bottom. Ideally, you want the unit cleaned the same day old tenants move out. If you want to attract high-quality residents, you want to have your place ready as soon as possible.

And it’s crucial to have everything squeaky clean before you start to show the unit around to the potential renters. We’d strongly advise you to hire a professional agency that’s going to perform the end of lease cleaning thoroughly. That way you’ll make sure your apartment is in rent-ready condition ASAP.

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

Another thing that can vastly improve your chances of landing high-quality tenants is adding a fresh coat of paint, wherever needed. That means you should pay attention not just to your walls, but to your bathroom cabinets, doors, windows, kitchen utensils, or whatever needs to be painted afresh.

You don’t have to replace any of these items, just make sure that you add at least one coat of good-quality paint. Remember that skimping on these things can end up costing you more since you’ll probably have to do the paint job more often.

Take Care of the Floors

The next thing you want to do to make sure your apartment is in mint condition and rent-ready as soon as possible is to upgrade flooring and replace carpets if needed. No one wants to see an old-fashioned carpet or vinyl flooring in their apartment, as these are very much outdated. In case you have good-looking carpets at your unit, make sure to steam-clean them before you lease the apartment.

Another thing you might want to consider is adding hardwood floors, in case you don’t have them already. They are a bit pricey but hold up better over time, so this is probably a good ROI to consider. It’s obvious that no one wants to see an old-fashioned carpet or vinyl flooring in their apartment, as these are very much outdated. Ideally, you should consider engineered wood flooring as a great, modern replacement.

Replace the Old Furniture and Appliances

You can have a great-looking place that people generally like, but if the furniture and appliances are super old, no one will want to live there. That’s why you as a landlord must do whatever it is in your power to replace the old furnishing.

We know that this can blow up your budget, but you simply have to consider this as an investment. There are far better chances that you’ll rent your unit more quickly and for a better price per week/month if the furniture and appliances are in good condition.

The Bottom Line

Making your apartment rent-ready can be too stressful at times, as landlords often have trouble deciding what to do around the place before new tenants arrive. That’s why, in this article, we’ve given you 5 steps that are definitely worth taking, in regards to making your apartment rent-ready as soon as possible.

Make sure to think like a potential renter for a moment and do the following things: clean the place top to bottom, paint everything afresh, take care of the floors/carpets, and replace the old furniture and appliances.

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Bio: Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.