With respect to rental home ownership nationwide, really understanding and staying up to date on the state of each home’s exterior elements is just as relevant as assuming when to replace the carpet or repaint the walls.
Whether you’re renting out an older property or a newly built home, ascertaining the age of each item and how long it can rationally be expected to last is a critical part of successful rental property management.
Importance of Maintaining Your Property’s Exterior
A good landlord or property manager is aware of the healthy lifespan of common exterior elements of your rental property. A product’s lifespan is how long it should last bearing in mind the standard conditions. Particularly: a quality cement patio makes it for upwards of 50 years by reason of the extremely durable nature of cement. On the other hand, wooden decks only last about ten years, given their sensitivity to the natural elements.
For your quick reference, we’ve listed several 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
It’s significant to see how long an element is expected to last in your property, exactly if your tenant provokes damage beyond normal wear and tear. By way of illustration, if the vinyl siding, which is over 25 years old, gets damaged, the tenant shouldn’t be held responsible for the repair cost. Although, if the vinyl siding is less than 25 years old, the renter would be expected to be liable for paying some or all the repair costs.
Stay Ahead of Property Damage
Rather than spend time and money on a fruitless judicial process, the sensible option to execute is to be ahead of property damage. With the right and relevant information and a proactive system for property management, it’s absolutely possible to manage and keep every single component of the rental home – both in and out– in a clean, tip-top state. Meticulously replacing items at scheduled times beyond their good, useful lives is one way to avoid bearing the full cost of repairs through tenant negligence. Another is putting into effect regular property evaluations to find out the current state of various areas of the rental home.
Real Property Management Deluxe grants a full property management program that encompasses preparing for years to come with maintenance plans, property evaluations, and a lot more. We have the equipment, resources, and knowledge to tend to your Pillager real estate investments, making them sustainably profitable for the likely future. Contact us online or at 218-454-7368 today!
Originally Published on March 22, 2019
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