Get Your House Ready to Rent
Properly preparing a house for rental will help you to command a better rent, and it also helps to protect the house. When prospective tenants see a neat, clean house that is in good repair you set the expectation that they should also take care of it. If you haven't already moved out, the preparations to rent it will also make it easier when moving day arrives. In the meantime, it'll be fresh and pleasant to live in.
Instructions
1. Move out all the furniture and personal belongings that you don't absolutely need. Throw away, give away or sell anything you don't want, and if necessary, rent a storage bin for most of the things you want to keep. Leaving them will make the house appear smaller, and you won't be able to do a good job cleaning it while your things are still there.
2. Clean the house and empty it of trash. This includes wiping down walls, washing floors, cleaning appliances--including the oven, shampooing carpets, washing the windows and cleaning the bathrooms.
3. Make repairs. Leaving behind needed repairs sends a message to the tenants: you don't care if the house is damaged. In that case, they won't either. So tighten screws, patch holes, remove stains, replace cracked and broken glass, sweep out the garage, replace missing shingles, fix leaks and paint if necessary. All the appliances should be in good working condition.
4. Tidy up the yard. The yard is the first impression that renters see. You don't need to landscape, but sweep the sidewalk and make sure the lawn is green, mowed, trimmed around the edges and free of toys, trash and debris. A pot of flowers by the door is nice, but not necessary.
5. Photograph everything and make a walk-though checklist to go over with your tenant. Include flooring, windows, walls, the appliances, bathrooms and kitchen. If anything is wrong when the house is rented, you can note it on the checklist. If everything on the checklist is fine and you both sign off on it, the tenant is more likely to be responsible and less likely to balk if you have to keep the security deposit to cover damage.
Tags: House Ready, House Ready Rent, Ready Rent, Your House, Your House Ready
