On the topic of owning rental homes in Stone Oak, identifying and tracking the condition of a home’s exterior elements is equally important as knowing when to replace the carpet or repaint the walls. Whether it’s an older property you’re renting out or one that you’ve recently constructed, knowing the age of each item and how long it can be reasonably expected to last is an important part of successful rental property management.
A good landlord or property manager understands the healthy lifespan of common exterior elements of your rental property in Stone Oak. A product’s lifespan is the number of years it is expected to last under standard conditions. As an example, take patios. A quality cement patio lasts upwards of 50 years because of the notably durable nature of cement. At the other end, wooden decks go for approximately ten years since they are very sensitive to natural elements.
For reference, we’ve listed a few common exterior items and their average lifespan:
- Garage Door: 15 years
- Automatic Garage Door Opener: 5-10 years
- Wood Fence: 10 years
- Stucco Exterior: 20-50+ years
- Vinyl Siding: 25 years
The concept of a lifespan is crucial, especially when your tenant deals with property damage that exceeds normal wear and tear. As an example, say your vinyl siding gets damaged, but it is more than 25 years old, the tenant shouldn’t be held responsible for the cost of repairs. If the vinyl siding is fewer than 25 years old, the tenant would likely be responsible to pay some or all of the cost of repairs.
Instead of spending so much time and money on a useless lawsuit, it would be better to beat property damage instead. With the correct information, coupled with a proactive approach to property management, it is very likely to keep all the elements of a rental home in good condition. Regular replacement of items beyond their useful lives is one way to avoid bearing the full cost of repairs caused by tenant negligence. One more way is to conduct regular property evaluations to keep track of the conditions of the different parts of the rental home.
Real Property Management Alamo has offerings such as the comprehensive property management program. It includes preparing for the future with maintenance plans, property evaluations, and much more. We have the experience and the skills to keep your Stone Oak real estate investments profitable for many years to come. Would you like more information? Please feel free to contact us online or call us at 210-600-5672.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
