Regularly replacing the carpet in your Concord rental home is essential, but not many landlords find it enjoyable. Have you contemplated removing the carpet from your rental property once and for all? A growing number of rental property owners are replacing wall-to-wall carpeting with hard-surface flooring. If this concept feels too radical, think about the reasons why fully removing the carpet is beneficial for landlords and tenants.
Carpets may harbor dirt and odor
One of the more challenging parts of having carpet in a rental property is keeping it clean. You might clean the carpets professionally between tenants, but they may not maintain them while living there. If tenants reside for several years, those carpets could be collecting dirt and grime for a long time.
Carpet fibers are notorious for holding onto unpleasant odors, especially when not cleaned frequently and thoroughly. Even if tenants clean the carpet, they probably prefer not to spend money on professionals or their own time on the task.
Conversely, hard-surface flooring like laminate or tile is easy to maintain. This flooring can be scrubbed to shine in minutes and as frequently as tenants wish to avoid unpleasant stains or smells. Unlike carpet, hard-surface flooring is significantly more sanitary for children and people with respiratory or health issues.
Avoid soaked carpets in case of a flood
Another reason to eliminate carpets is the difficulty of cleaning them after water leaks and floods. Even a minor plumbing issue can cause major flooding in a rental, and wet carpets can become a significant problem.
Soaked carpets must be pulled up, and the subflooring, pad, and carpeting need to be dried thoroughly to prevent mold. If the carpet can’t be dried, it must be replaced. If you don’t address a flooding situation promptly and correctly, you risk your residents’ health and severe liability.
Most hard-surface flooring (excluding natural hardwood) is much easier to handle in a flood situation. With proper installation, most laminate and vinyl flooring types are highly water-resistant and can be dried efficiently. This means no need for expensive restoration services or floor replacement, just some focused clean-up.
Hardwood floors have a longer lifespan
It’s common knowledge that carpets should be replaced every five years. Some landlords try to extend that to seven years or more—usually to their own disadvantage. Most residents dislike living with old, worn, or stained carpets. If carpets are not replaced regularly, tenants might think about moving out.
Old carpet looks unappealing and is often hazardous. As carpet gets older, tacks can pop up and injure people walking on them. Cheap carpets, especially, don’t last more than a few years in rental properties.
Hard-surface flooring, however, lasts much longer. Though there are ways a tenant could damage a hard-surface floor, most tile or laminate flooring lasts ten to twenty years or more. Laminate flooring is similarly priced to carpet but needs less frequent replacement, making it a better choice for rentals.
Ditch the outdated look of carpets
Finally, wall-to-wall carpeting can give a rental property an outdated look. Newer homes typically minimize carpet, using it only in bedrooms or not at all.
To give your rental a contemporary look, consider replacing carpet with attractive laminate or tile flooring in the main areas. Unlike carpet, which tenants can’t change, hard-surface flooring allows tenants to add rugs or other décor items to personalize the space while keeping it clean and durable.
Modern laminate tile comes in many sizes, colors, and patterns, including wood-look tiles that can enhance your rental without the cost and hassle of natural hardwood.
Uncover the advantages of hard-surface flooring for rental properties. Contact Real Property Management Diablo Valley at 925-658-5755 or online for tips on creating cost-effective, appealing interiors that tenants will love. Our property managers in Concord specialize in minimizing maintenance costs without compromising tenant appeal.
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