Tenant Renovations You Should Allow in Your Property

By Brittany Loeffler on October 7, 2019

When it comes to renting a property to tenants, there is an understanding that the property will be vacated exactly as it was found upon move-in. However, from a tenant’s point of view, renting a property means trying to make something that isn’t yours feel like home. So, that may mean your tenants would like to add some renovations to the property.

When it comes to the idea of tenant renovations, it can make property managers and landlords a little uneasy. You don’t know how much damage these renovations may cause or how expensive it will be to have them removed. Rather than prohibiting tenant renovations altogether, here are some things you should allow that may also benefit you when renting the property out again.

tenant renovations

via Unsplash

Painting

Nobody wants to live in a white-walled apartment. It feels so impersonal and blank. Tenants can do their best to make white rooms feel more like home by hanging up pictures and such, but that only does so much. One of the most common and harmless tenant renovations you can allow is painting the walls. This is easily reversible and you can even require your tenant to repaint the apartment before they move out.

Smart Doorbells

The advancement of technology is crazy, especially when it comes to taking safety precautions at home. The latest smart technology for a residence is a smart doorbell. These doorbells often have cameras and speakers that residents can connect to using their phones. So, when they are not home, they can see who is at the door or instruct mail deliveries to a specific spot.

Not only will this give your tenant peace of mind when it comes to their safety and security, but what is left behind from these tenant renovations is minimal and easy to fix. You may even like the idea and ask to buy the doorbell from the tenants for future ones.

Shelves

In order to make a place feel more like home, people will decorate with their favorite patterns, items, and colors. When it comes to decorating, shelving can do a lot for a space. Tenants can put up picture frames, knick-knacks, books, and other items that make them feel at home. While the idea of having holes in the walls isn’t the most exciting thing for a property manager to think about, they are easily fixable.

Small Bathroom Updates

Having a comfortable bathroom can change your tenant’s whole experience of living in your property. If the bathroom is old and dated, they may want to make some tenant renovations such as replacing the mirror,  lighting fixtures, or showerhead. As long as they keep the old items or are willing to leave the new ones behind, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. In fact, it can benefit you when trying to rent out the apartment again. Tenants enjoy the feeling of a new, updated space, even if the updates are minimal.

Kitchen Improvements

Just like the bathroom, an updated kitchen can make a tenant’s stay at your property much more enjoyable. Even if the tenant renovations include small improvements like painting the cabinets, replacing cabinet and drawer handles or switching out an old microwave for a newer one, these renovations can always be changed back if you do not want them to stay. However, if your tenant seriously has a problem with the kitchen, you may want to consider updating the appliances or countertops because the kitchen is one of the most important features potential tenants look at before renting an apartment.

Approve and Agree on Tenant Renovations

In the lease, add a clause concerning tenant renovations. Require your tenants to run their renovation ideas by you before they make any changes to the property. You should approve or reject the tenant renovations in a timely manner. You should also have an understanding that any renovations that are made must be reversed when possession of the property is handed back to you unless you have an agreement with the tenants that they will leave the renovations intact. Just think, if a tenant makes a renovation that can help you lease out your property in the future, it makes sense to pay them for the item rather than pay for the labor and a brand new item after they leave.

Allowing Tenant Renovations

When you allow your tenants to make small renovations to your property, it can increase their likelihood to extend their lease because the space feels more like home to them, which means you don’t have to worry about finding a new tenant to move in. These small tenant renovations will leave minimal damage and may even increase the value of your property if the tenant agrees to leave the renovations intact, which is great news for you!

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