Your tenants might be doing things that ruin your rental home’s kitchen and not even know it. A kitchen is comprised of many parts, from the floors and countertops to the appliances and cabinets. Every element must be used properly and treated with care, or they may get accidental damage.
Through misunderstanding or neglect, unintentional damage to the kitchen can cost investment property owners a lot to have it repaired. However, recognizing how this damage occurs, you can equip your tenants with the knowledge of proper kitchen maintenance. This would allow them to help keep your Glen Burnie rental homes in the best shape it could be.
For some tenants, one of the biggest deciding factors when choosing a rental home is an attractive kitchen. However, a kitchen can also suffer a lot of unnecessary damage if it is not being properly maintained. Tenants may have never been taught how to take care of a kitchen’s floor, countertops, or cabinets, unintentionally damaging these features in the process.
Keep in mind that wood or laminate floors can be scratched or gouged by heavy furniture, heavy foot traffic, and even pets. Tile floors are durable and last longer, but grout can stain or become damaged by strong cleaners or even magic erasers or scrubbers and dropping heavy objects can crack or break tiles. These sorts of destruction may seem insignificant in the beginning, but over a period of time it can build up to a kitchen floor that has to be changed years before its expected life is over.
Countertops are another hard surface in the kitchen that tenants can accidentally damage, even though he or she is very careful. Countertops can immediately become permanently stained or discolored by setting hot dishes and pans directly on the counter surface, as well as scored by knives from cutting food without a cutting board. It may never even occur to a tenant that a hard stone like granite can be damaged by heat, sharp objects, and harsh cleaners. But it can be damaged and it would result in expensive repairs.
Cabinets are another kitchen element that is often accidentally damaged by tenants. The most frequent kind of damage to cabinets happens when a tenant cleans them improperly. Many household cleaners will take the finish off wood cabinets, as will products like magic eraser sponges. Cabinets that have been stripped of their protective finish are disposed to be further damaged by heat, steam, and grime build-up, which will be harder to get rid of at each cleaning.
While damage to each of these parts can lead to costly repairs, few things produce more problems than appliances that are improperly maintained. Refrigerators, dishwashers, and ranges need regular maintenance and proper use to keep functioning properly for many years. For example, the useful life of a dishwasher can be severely shortened if a tenant doesn’t know how to load it properly or uses too much soap. Dishwashers also must be cleaned several times a year by running an empty cycle with a dishwasher cleaner or a cup of vinegar, or risk clogged drains or blocked sprayers.
Using the wrong cleaning products on an appliance is another common reason why unintentional damage happens. Ovens, stovetops, and refrigerators can all be scratched or damaged by harsh chemicals or cleaning brushes, causing them to operate terribly and look bad. Cleaning is a crucial part of appliance maintenance, but it must be properly done so that the appliance does not break down and will not need to be replaced right away.
Teaching tenants proper kitchen maintenance is a vital part of handling a quality rental home, but it can be difficult to do without damaging the landlord-tenant relationship. This is the area of discipline where the pros at Real Property Management Capital can be of service. We can aid you by communicating crucial information to your tenants and at the same time encourage good relations.
We can make sure that your tenants are carrying out vital upkeep work in the kitchen once-a-year, accomplishing the daily upkeep of your Glen Burnie rental home an easy and uncomplicated process. If you want to know more about what we can do to serve you, don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 301-869-5001.
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