How Much To Upgrade From Residence to Rental? (tenant, rental property, house)

[grmi66]

Converting our personal residence in a decent middle income suburban neighborhood into a rental property at the end of this month. Installing new ceiling fans and new carpeting throughout the house and will touch up the paint a bit. Then will hire a professional cleaner and a landscaper to give it a good cleaning inside and out.

Trying to balance improvements that will bring in a higher rental price vs. the fact that the house will be a rental for at least the next decade. We will live less than ten minutes away to handle minor issues and I have a handyman on speed dial for the major stuff.

Is there anything else I should do before putting it on the market?

[spencgr]

if you can swing it, I would DEFINATELY do LVT floors instead of carpet; it will last much longer.

[grmi66]

Originally Posted by spencgr

if you can swing it, I would DEFINATELY do LVT floors instead of carpet; it will last much longer.

Already have tile in the high traffic areas, just doing carpeting in the bedrooms. But LVT is something to think about in a couple of years.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Is there anything else I should do before putting it on the market?

Clean and functioning. Nothing that doesn't directly affect habitability. Zero cosmetic (eg ceiling fans).
The "upgrade" work gets done and expensed at the next turnover; after the first tenant moves out.
Start making a list of what work is/will be genuinely warranted. Show it to your CPA.

[grmi66]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Clean and functioning. Nothing that doesn't directly affect habitability. Zero cosmetic (eg ceiling fans).
The "upgrade" work gets done and expensed at the next turnover; after the first tenant moves out.
Start making a list of what work is/will be genuinely warranted. Show it to your CPA.

Live in Arizona, so ceiling fans are a must have feature. Our current ones are non-functional in half the rooms.

But I like keeping my punch list to "clean and functioning". Plus I'm married to an accountant, so good over there.

What about painting? Have two rooms that I never got around to updating. The walls are clean, just the person who painted them before we moved in wasn't that talented with a paint brush.

[Rabrrita]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Is there anything else I should do before putting it on the market?

Read your state's landlord tenant laws, research court case law, learn about habitability, understand your state's meaning of timeliness and speak with your family attorney about the potential pitfalls if you make a mistake.

[blakely]

Originally Posted by spencgr

if you can swing it, I would DEFINATELY do LVT floors instead of carpet; it will last much longer.

This.

Plus, most tenants prefer LVT > carpet.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

When I convert a residence into a rental I am not "upgrading" to make the unit nice. I am "upgrading" to make the unit more resistant to damage. Good and solid, not fancy and fashionable.


With that said, I do have ceiling fans in all of my rental houses and I buy a mid grade that will run quietly. However, if I bought a house that didn't have them, I wouldn't add them. Ceiling fans should have special ceiling fan electrical boxes and support and if it is is not already there it involves cutting out parts of the ceiling and turns into a big repair and expense. if there are no ceiling fans, the tenant will just have to buy their own box fans.


I am looking for sparkling clean and solid and finishes that are less easy to damage.


Carpet is a no-go for me. I use solid surface flooring and the tenants seem to prefer it and then neither the tenant nor I ever have to pay for carpet cleaning or pet damage to carpeting.


Good solid neutral color paint and use a brand that washes well. Don't use any fancy finishes that can be scratched, stained, or broken. If you provide appliances, buy a grade that isn't the cheapest, but don't buy the ones with fancy features. I recommend staying away from ice makers. In fact, if you can get away with it, don't supply a refrigerator and never supply the washer/ dryer.


Landscaping should be simple. Tenants might or might no mow lawns but they sure aren't going to weed flower beds and you do not want them to prune shrubs or trees, because they will do it wrong.

[Tigger84Ag]

I also used semi gloss paint, it’s easy to clean and you can touch it up without having to paint a whole wall due to damage, etc. I would touch up between tenants and it still looked new. LVT or tie, for flooring no carpet ever!

[Katie1]

In my area when you do this Your Property Taxes Double... suggest you check into that.