Your tenants may be doing things that damage your rental home’s kitchen without even realizing it. A kitchen is formed from multiple components, from the floors and countertops to the appliances and cabinets. Every element must be used properly and treated with care, or they may get accidental damage.
Through misunderstanding or neglect, unintentional damage to the kitchen can be very costly for investment property owners to fix. However, when you understand how the damage happens, you can educate your tenants on proper kitchen maintenance. This will help keep your Castroville rental homes in good condition.
An attractive kitchen is sometimes the reason why a tenant chooses one rental home over another. But a kitchen can also experience a lot of unnecessary damage if it is not being properly maintained. Tenants probably don’t know 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 known to be more durable, 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. This wear and tear might begin as a little amount, yet over the years it will result in a kitchen floor that must be removed and a new one installed 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 immediately become 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 not even think it possible that a hard stone like granite can be damaged by heat, sharp objects, and harsh cleaners. But it can and it would lead to 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 disposed to be further damaged by heat, steam, and grime build-up, which will be harder to get rid of at each cleaning.
While damage to each of these parts can lead to costly repairs, few things produce more problems than appliances that are improperly maintained. 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.
Utilizing the wrong cleaning products on an appliance is another typical cause of unintentional damage. Ovens, stovetops, and refrigerators can all be scratched or damaged by harsh chemicals or cleaning brushes, making them operate poorly and look unsightly. 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.
Proper kitchen maintenance is an important subject to educate your tenants in. It’s vital knowledge to have when managing a quality rental home, but it can be difficult to teach this to your tenants without damaging the landlord-tenant relationship. The experts at Real Property Management Alamo are happy to help out with this.
We can lend you a helping hand by disseminating vital information to your tenants while being able to encourage good relations. We can even make certain that your tenants are doing their annual maintenance responsibilities in the kitchen, executing the daily upkeep of your Castroville rental home an effortless and manageable 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 210-600-5672.
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