Your tenants may be ruining your rental home’s kitchen without even knowing. A kitchen contains various elements, from the floors and countertops to the appliances and cabinets. Each element shouldn’t be abused or neglected, but cared for properly and used the way it was designed for, or else accidental damage may occur.
Through misunderstanding or neglect, unintentional damage to the kitchen can be very expensive for investment property owners to repair. However, when you know how the damage occurs, you can teach your tenants proper kitchen maintenance. Doing this would help them keep your Douglaston rental homes in its best condition.
For some tenants, one of the biggest deciding factors when choosing a rental home is an attractive kitchen. But a kitchen could undergo so much 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 more durable and usually outlast other types of floors, 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. Over time these kinds of overuse may look inconsequential but it will result in a kitchen floor that must be torn out and replaced years before its expected life is over.
Countertops are another hard surface in the kitchen that can be unintentionally damaged by a tenant, no matter how careful he or she is. Countertops can be 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. A tenant would never even think that a hard stone like granite can be damaged by heat, sharp objects, and harsh cleaners. But the truth is that it can be damaged and it would leave the owner with 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 apt to be further damaged by heat, steam, and grime build-up, which will be more challenging to remove at each cleaning.
While the cost to repair any damaged elements may be high, few things create more problems than poorly maintained appliances. 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 an integral part of good appliance maintenance, but it must be executed properly or else the appliance may conk out and need to be replaced.
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 field of expertise where the experts at Real Property Management Innovation can assist you. We can assist you by being responsible for disclosing critical information to your tenants and yet continue to 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 Douglaston 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 516-570-9275.
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