As to rental home ownership nationwide, being informed of and keeping up to date on the state of each home’s exterior elements is just as necessary as knowing when to replace the carpet or repaint the walls.
Whether you’re renting out an older property or a newly built home, appreciating the age of each item and how long it can fairly be expected to last is an essential part of successful rental property management.
Importance of Maintaining Your Property’s Exterior
A good landlord or property manager realizes the healthy lifespan of common exterior elements of your rental property. A product’s lifespan is the term it should last while sticking to standard conditions. Take for instance: a quality cement patio lasts for upwards of 50 years, originating from the tremendously durable nature of cement. With that said, wooden decks only last about ten years, given their sensitivity to the natural elements.
For your easy 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 focal to glean how long an element is expected to last in your property, and most importantly if your tenant brings on damage beyond normal wear and tear. For instance, if the vinyl siding, which is over 25 years old, gets damaged, the tenant shouldn’t be held responsible for the repair cost. But, on the flip side, if the vinyl siding is less than 25 years old, the renter would potentially be culpable for paying some or all the repair costs.
Stay Ahead of Property Damage
Rather than spend time and money on a futile judicial process, the reasonable option to actualize is to be ahead of property damage. With correct information and a proactive system for property management, it’s truly possible to manage and keep every single component of the rental home – both in and out– in a beautiful state. Surely replacing items beyond their practical and useful lives is one way to avoid bearing the full cost of repairs provoked by tenant negligence. Another is implementing regular property evaluations to check on various areas of the rental home.
Real Property Management VA Peninsula offers a full property management program that covers preparing for several years with maintenance plans, property evaluations, and considerably more. We have the equipment and competence to tackle your Toano real estate investments and make them profitable for the potential future. Contact us online or at 757-251-9188– today!
Originally Published on March 22, 2019
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