Letting an apartment sit empty for too long is a bad thing for any property manager. The longer it sits empty, the more rent you lose.
Unfortunately, that means apartments often get turned quicker than they should. Certain areas are overlooked in an effort to get a family into the unit as quickly as possible, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t turning your apartments properly.
An improperly turned apartment makes it difficult to maintain it later on down the road, and you could lose out on high-quality tenants who have higher standards.
Here are a few spots in an apartment that are frequently overlooked during the turn process, according to an industry-leading turn service located in Florida.
Door Frames and Trim
When was the last time you cleaned your door frames and trim? Unsurprisingly, tenants also do a very bad job of cleaning these areas, and so do property managers. However, they can greatly affect the overall appearance of a room.
You should thoroughly clean these features throughout the unit, but you should also be prepared to repair or revive the trim too. Chipped trim will need to be repainted, while damaged trim may need to be replaced altogether.
Just make sure you prep the trim properly! Slapping on a new coat of paint without first sanding away the old paint will just encourage the paint on the trim to chip even more.
Light Switches, Outlet Covers, and Door Knobs
If most people forget about door frames and trim, it should come as no surprise that they forget about things like light switches, outlet covers, and door knobs.
All of these things should be cleaned thoroughly. You’ll be surprised just how much dirt comes off of all those switches, covers, and knobs. They get used multiple times a day, after all!
If your switches, outlet covers, or knobs have paint on them, because a previous painter did a shoddy job, or they are damaged, they should be replaced. They should also be replaced if they simply look outdated. After all, it only takes a few minutes to replace a light switch or an outlet cover.
Under Appliances
Arguably the grossest place in any apartment is underneath the appliances. No one looks under there anyway, so why bother?
Have you ever tried to retrieve something from underneath the stove? Your tenant will be mortified to discover a cat toy covered in crusty old food remnants.
In addition, keeping these areas clean can prolong the life of your appliances. A refrigerator that sits on a bed of dirt and debris without being cleaned has to work harder to cool the items it contains, and the harder it has to work, the more quickly it will break down and need to be repaired or replaced.
Cabinets
Cleaning cabinets are important, but it is often overlooked. It’s a lot easier to close the doors and forget about all the crumbs tucked inside.
It’s not just the inside of the cabinets you need to worry about. You should also give a little TLC to the outside of the cabinets as well.
It doesn’t take long for the outside of cabinets to get covered in dirt and filth, especially if they’re being opened every day. Give them all a good wipe, and be willing to replace or repaint them if they are damaged or outdated.
Cabinets and features that need your attention include:
- Kitchen cabinets
- Bathroom cabinets
- Storage areas
- Knobs and pulls
Fire Alarms
You probably tested all the fire alarms in the unit before handing it over to your tenant, but if you don’t know how long those alarms have been there, you could be setting yourself up for some trouble.
It is recommended that you replace smoke alarms every 10 years, but some cities and municipalities may have different local laws for how often they should be replaced by property managers. If you don’t follow those laws, you could be fined, or worse. Your tenants could experience fire damage, and it will be your fault.
In addition to keeping a close eye on fire and smoke alarms, you should also replace CO2 detectors frequently, and recharge fire extinguishers before new tenants move in.
Don’t rush the turn process. Although it does take some time, it’s time well spent. You’ll attract higher quality tenants to your unit, and by doing a little bit now, you can save yourself from having to do a lot later on down the road when it’s time to turn the apartment again.
