How to Properly Clean Your Rental Home Prior to Listing
Renting out your property can be a great way to earn extra income. However, before listing your rental home for new tenants, it is essential to have it thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the next occupants. A clean and well-cared-for property not only attracts more tenants but also helps to maintain the value of your property and list it for a higher sum. If you wonder how to properly clean your rental home prior to listing, check out this short guide that will help you get it in top shape for new tenants.
Use professional cleaning services
While it may be tempting to clean the rental home yourself, it is best to hire a professional cleaning service to have one less worry on your hands. Professional cleaners, like Simply Spotless Cleaning have the necessary tools, equipment, and expertise to make your property perfectly clean.
They can also identify areas that need extra attention or may require special products and machinery, available only to professionals. Moreover, you can get recommendations for maintaining a clean space or certain materials such as hardwood flooring or tiles.
Create a cleaning checklist
Before starting any type of cleaning, the first step should be creating a cleaning checklist. This checklist will ensure that you don’t miss anything, no matter how small and routine. One of the favorite checklist models is listing all the rooms or areas that you intend to clean, and then dividing them into specific tasks. These tasks should include something as mundane as washing the windows, dusting, and wiping down surfaces, besides focusing on less common things, like repainting or cleaning the garden.
Clean all the rooms thoroughly
If you decided to do room-by-room cleaning, start with the most important rooms and work your way down to the least important ones. The most important rooms in the house are the kitchen and bathroom, considering these are high-traffic areas and require extra attention. Make sure to clean the counters, sinks, cabinets, and floors thoroughly. In the bathroom, pay extra attention to the toilet, shower, and tub, but also scrub the tiles and wash the walls.
Next, move to the bedrooms and living room where you should focus on cleaning the floors, dusting the furniture, and wiping the windows. The living room is typically the first room that potential tenants will see when they enter your rental home. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that it’s impeccable and inviting. Vacuum or sweep the floors, and then mop them thoroughly, but if you have carpets, consider sending them to professionals for deep cleaning.
Common areas such as hallways and staircases should not be overlooked when cleaning your rental home. Make sure to dust and wipe all the surfaces, including handrails, door knobs, and light fixtures. Finally, make sure to air out your rental home after cleaning to remove any lingering and unpleasant odors from cleaning products.
Decide what stays and what goes
If there are any items that you don’t want to include in the rental, remove them before showing the property. This includes personal belongings, like pictures, clothes, art, furniture, and appliances. Removing clutter can help make the rental home appear more spacious and attractive to potential tenants, especially allowing them the freedom to decorate it how they like. Of course, you can always offer them the furniture, but if they are not interested, consider placing it in storage or selling it.
Do some landscaping
If you are listing a house that means that some exterior space goes with it, a circumstance you shouldn’t neglect. Consider doing some landscaping to improve the curb appeal and give the property attractiveness even before potential tenants walk through the door.
This can include some of the usual chores such as mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, and planting flowers. Of course, you can also decorate the outdoors, add pathways, solar lamps, and gravel, and upgrade the fence. It all depends on the shape of your exterior area and your budget for tidying it up.
Final thoughts
Cleaning your rental home before listing it for new tenants is vital to get an asking price in the competitive market. Hiring professional cleaners, creating a checklist, and performing room-by-room cleaning are the most important strategies to consider. By following these steps, you can attract the tenants you want, increase the rental value, and prevent complaints about the state of your property.
