Terrible Tenants? The Steps To Take To Get Your Rental Property Ready To Re-Let

Posted on: 20 September 2016

Even the most well managed rental properties can sometimes fall victim to bad tenants. For landlords, this can be a devastating experience, particularly if the tenants leave the property in a dirty, damaged and rubbish-filled condition. If your rental property has been recently vacated by unsavoury tenants, then you may be feeling overwhelmed by the task of cleaning, repairing and getting the property ready for new tenants.

Having the right plan of attack and enlisting the help of the right professionals is the key to getting the job done quickly and effectively. Here are the steps you should take to make the whole process as efficient as possible.

Remove the rubbish

Clearing out your property of rubbish, damaged items and leftover belongings from the tenants is the first step in getting your property back to normal. This may seem like a daunting task, especially if then tenants were hoarding rubbish for several months.

Enlisting the help of a company who specialises in residential rubbish removal is an excellent way to ensure a speedy and thorough clean up. An experienced cleaning crew will swiftly complete a job that may take you days or even weeks to complete on your own.

Depending on the service they offer, many professional cleaners will also have all of the necessary safety equipment on hand to do the job. Rubbish such as decaying food matter, soiled nappies, animal faeces and urine, and even discarded illegal drug paraphernalia are just some of the biohazards that you may encounter during the clean-up process.

Make an assessment

After the property has been cleared out, then you'll be able to make a more accurate assessment of the damage that's been done to the structure of the property and the fixtures and fittings. This is the stage where you decide what can be salvaged with some cleaning and repairs and what will need to be replaced entirely.

The cleaning company that helped you remove the rubbish can be very helpful again during this stage of the process. Items such as carpets, curtains, ovens and bathroom furnishings may seem like they're only fit for the dump. However, it's surprising what amazing results professional cleaners can achieve with the right equipment and know-how, and you may be able to salvage more than you first imagined. If there are things you can't save, the cleaning company will also be able to properly dispose of them.

Complete the repairs

Once your property is empty and clean, you can begin the process of restoring it to a habitable state. If you have landlord insurance, then you should be able to claim all of these expenses back, including the cost of the cleaning company you have used.

If your property wasn't covered by landlord insurance, then you may be tempted to complete as much of the work as possible to reduce the costs. However, it's worth paying contractors to do the work in order to make sure it's done as quickly as possible. You'll still need to pay for materials, meaning the only money you'll save will be labour costs. These savings can easily be negated by lost rental income if it takes you weeks to complete work that professional contractors could do in days.

Getting your rental property ready to let out again after you've had irresponsible tenants can be an emotionally and physically taxing experience. By breaking it down into manageable steps and getting the right professional help, you'll quickly have the property looking as good as new.

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