It is conceivable that your renters are damaging the bathrooms in your single-family rental homes without consciously doing it. Even tenants who just want to keep the house in pristine condition can unintentionally damage bathroom elements or fixtures. The main causes of accidental bathroom damage are commonly a lack of regular maintenance or putting in the wrong cleaning products. By training tenants and telling them how to care for the bathrooms on the property correctly, Fort Worth rental property owners can spare themselves a lot of potentially expensive repairs down the road.
Regular maintenance and cleaning are the keys to keeping a bathroom in an excellent working state. In any case, there is absolutely no assurance that a tenant has an idea or two about how to properly maintain and clean a bathroom and could very well unintentionally damage a bathroom’s fixtures and elements.
For instance, hard water (water with a high mineral content) is prevalent in many areas of the country. This sort of water can develop mineral deposits and trigger build ups in and around plumbing and fixtures, causing rubber seals to deteriorate, rust fittings, and leave behind an unattractive ring in tubs, toilets, and sinks. Hard water can lead to leaky pipes, toilets, and faucets, and cause a shower to lose water pressure. If left untreated, it can also permanently stain bathroom surfaces, making them look ghastly.
Regular maintenance is a huge part of preventing a little rust or hard water deposit from becoming a big problem. In the shower, simply cleaning the shower head and the faucet on a regular basis with vinegar can certify that they are working appropriately and that the water pressure remains reliable. But most household cleaning products will not remove hard water buildup, and neither will abrasive sponges or scrub brushes. To clean fixtures without damaging them, tenants need a lesson or two regarding the right technique or they may accidentally cause more damage than anything else.
Other elements of a bathroom that often sustain accidental damage are cabinets and floors. With proximity to so many water sources, water damage in a bathroom is always a concern. A small leak under a bathroom cabinet or a dripping faucet may not look as though it needs to be a cause for concern for a tenant, but even small leaks are critical warning signs that something has gone wrong with the plumbing and should be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, the moisture from the leak could lead to damaged cabinets and, if ignored long enough, damage to the flooring or even the subfloor beneath the bathroom’s tile or laminate.
Utilizing the wrong cleaning products on cabinets and floors is another normal source of inadvertent damage. A large number of tenants want to keep their rental home clean, and in decent shape, however, they may apply harsh chemicals or other cleaning products that end up stripping the varnish off a wooden cabinet or compromising the seal on a tile floor. Exposed wood and grout are far more susceptible to mold and other moisture-related problems, and can quickly become not only an eyesore but also a health hazard.
It’s also noteworthy for property owners to check that their tenants have a good comprehension regarding proper bathroom maintenance and cleaning. But passing on this information to them and then monitoring the house to see if they are doing what needs to be done can not only be time-consuming but may also lead to resentful feelings. This makes a professional approach to educating tenants about property maintenance one of the best ways to retain good tenant relations. At Real Property Management Meridian, we can provide the information tenants need and the oversight that property owners want to ensure that each rental home is kept in the best possible condition. Contact us online or call our office at 817-678-8787 and see how we can help make your rental property ventures go smoothly and profitably.
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.
