Making Stairs Safer in Your Rentals

 

Landlords renting out two-story properties must keep the safety of the tenants in mind when it comes to dealing with the stairs. The safer the stairs are, the more comfortable tenants will feel in their home. Keeping tenants safe is the utmost priority for landlords. Keeping the stairs in your rental safe is a great way to start safety-proofing your rentals.

The following are some great tips to help keep the stairs in your multi-story rental as safe as possible for your tenants:

Install Sturdy Handrails:

Providing your tenants with sturdy handrails to use while they climb up the stairs is one of the best ways that you can help prevent falls in your rentals. Some tenants who have problems walking, climbing, or with their balance may need the assistance of a railing to move safely throughout the home.  Extending the handrail or a safety bar past the last step at the top or bottom of possible to help those who need additional assistance.

Choose Quality Flooring:

When looking at the stairs, you want to choose floor material that helps the tenant maintain their footing while climbing the stairs. Choosing a contrasting floor color can help your tenant clearly see each step. It helps to choose a non-slippery finish to your floor so that clients do not slip or fall while climbing or descending the stairs.

Install Permanent Carpet Runners:

If your staircases have a wood flooring, then you want to consider installing a permanent carpet runner on the stairs. Carpet is much easier to grip onto than hardwood with a slippery wax or finish to it. Permanent carpeting will stay put when people are on the stairs. It will also not rumple to avoid the person slipping or falling. 

Lighting:

Providing good lighting in the area where the stairs are will help people clearly see where they are going. The lighting can help people see that they have sure footing and keep their step steady as they go up or down the stairs. Make sure that there are no glares that keep people from clearly seeing where they're moving to. 

Stair Inspection:

Having your stairs inspected by a certified inspector can help ensure that your stairs meet building and safety codes for your area. Tenants will rest with peace of mind knowing that the stairs in their homes are up to safety standards. It can also help keep you as a landlord out of hot water if a tenant were to fall while living in your rental property by proving that your home upheld the required safety standards in your area.

Consider Lifts/Alternatives:

Some tenants may not be able to use stairs at all. Consider having alternatives available such as lifts to help your tenant navigate your multistory properties. Proper working equipment to assist tenants will ensure their safety in their home.

Conclusions:

These are some great tips to help keep your stairs safe in your rental properties. Limiting falls and helping keep tenants safe is key for landlords who own multiple-story homes. The safer tenants feel, the more likely you are to earn a good reputation as a caring landlord, and the more likely people are to rent your multi-story properties.

Landscaping Strategies for Easy Rental Property Maintenance

Renting homes to tenants involves more than providing places to live. A great rental property is designed to be beautiful, enjoyable, and low-maintenance for everyone involved. This applies not only to the home, but also to the surrounding yard. Smart landscaping can allow tenants to enjoy a great yard without constant maintenance or landscaping services needed. Today, we're covering three low-maintenance and easy rental property landscaping strategies.

 

Flowering Bushes

Bushes are, by far, the best way to create privacy and dynamic landscaping for little-to-know maintenance is flowering bushes. The right bushes will depend on your region. Ideally,  look for fluffy bushes that have soft leaves and non-spiny bark. Flowering bushes are best because they can be decorative, sometimes for most of the year, as well as providing a bit of privacy and greenery.

Flowering bushes may only need to be trimmed once or twice a year, something your tenants can choose to do or you can send someone around for. This type of landscaping doesn't even require a service, just a property manager with a pair of clippers. Flowering bushes are both attractive and low-maintenance.

 

Xeriscaping

There is a new trend in home landscaping called xeriscaping. This is a method of choosing plants that need very little water and very little maintenance. Depending on your climate, xeriscaping might involve year-round plants that survive well in the local climate or you might create a lovely array of cactus and succulents.

Xeriscaping creates interesting and shapely landscaping designs that are not soft, but they do look good and require minimal care.

 

Decorative Mulch and Gravel

Finally, there's the landscaping option that involves little to no plants at all. Decorative gravel or colorful mulch can be used to make a rental home's yard attractive, but in no need of watering or trimming. Woodchips, asphalt shreds, and mulch might be used, for example, in a backyard with an installed playground instead of grass or flowerbeds that need tending. Shapely beds of gravel can create aesthetic patterns in the yard and beautiful curb appeal with no plant-maintenance required. You can also use spacious gravel or mulched flowerbeds between well-spaced low-maintenance plants like trees or bushes.

 

Landscaping your rental homes doesn't have to require constant mowing or care from your tenants or from property management.

Top Basement Renovations with Highest ROI for Flipped Properties

Flipping a home is all about making the smartest choices for your ROI. Investments are only profitable if they proportionately increase the home's value in the next sale. A basement in your flip-project home can provide huge potential, but only if you put it to good use. Finishing a basement or renovating a finished basement can be a boost to your ROI if you make the right upgrades. Let's take a look at the top 3 high-ROI ways to upgrade your flip basement.

 

Finished Living Space Ads Square Feet to the Home

Taking a basement from unfinished to finished has inherent value. Good-quality walls, floors, and ceiling alone can transform a musty storage space into additional square feet of living space. Unfinished basements are not supposed to be listed as square feet of the home because it is not livable. But a finished basement can be an extended living room, den, craft room, or even suites for bedrooms. The square feet alone will increase the selling value of your flip.

 

Additional Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Everyone knows that home value is calculated by the bedroom. A five-bedroom home has greater value in most neighborhoods than a three-bedroom house. Consider transforming a finished basement into one or more additional bedrooms, turning the basement into a darker, quieter place to sleep for new owners with a big family. Extra bathrooms are also inherently valuable. Not only is there another bathroom in the house stats, but a bathroom in the basement ensures convenience of a bathroom on every active floor.

 

Basement Apartment Suite

You can even renovate the basement into a separate suite, like a mother-in-law suite or a space ready to be vacation-rented by the next owners. Basement suites are great for subletting, roommates, or families with teenagers. Not to mention the additional value of another bedroom, bathroom, living space, and/or kitchenette.