Are Your Floors Ready For Maintenance?
Rental maintenance is an important responsibility for landlords, and flooring in your units is no exception. In fact, it’s an aspect of a rental that tenants take care to notice, and depending on the shape the floor is in when they tour, it may be a determining factor of them renting your apartment. That’s why it’s vital that you maintain the flooring in your units — wear and tear is normal as tenants walk the same paths on a day-to-day basis, but some issues pose health or safety risks. It shouldn’t be often, but occasionally, you’ll need to replace the flooring in your units.
Whether you choose hardwood, carpet, vinal, or another one of the many flooring options for rental properties, equipping your units with high quality but affordable flooring is essential to meeting both budget and durability needs. It also helps you maintain property value and tenant satisfaction.
Signs that You Need to Replace Your Rental Property Flooring
If you’ve operated a rental business for a considerable amount of time or own older properties, you may be wondering when to replace hardwood floors, carpets, vinyl, or tile. What’s the difference between normal wear and tear on rental property flooring and a larger problem? How can you tell when old flooring becomes a hazard? Let’s dive into a list of five signs to watch out for that indicate your flooring in your rental properties may need to be replaced.
1. Scratches, Dents, or Cracks
Unless you use carpet flooring, as tenants move around a unit’s flooring, it’s common for scratches and dents to appear. Perhaps a piece of furniture with a sharp edge scraped the floor or something heavy was dropped, leaving slight damage to the floor. These issues, while irritating, are not necessarily a reason to replace flooring, especially when there are only a few scattered here and there; however, if cracks begin to appear in the flooring, you may have reason to address the problem sooner rather than later.
One crack in the floor, especially if not fixed promptly, will often lead to further cracks that get bigger (especially if you have ceramic tile, a popular option for rental properties). Cracks are also difficult to fix without completely replacing the flooring, and if they become a tripping hazard or snag on clothing, a tenant could get injured. On top of this, insects are attracted to cracks and crevices, and cracked flooring in your apartments can draw them in, causing an even bigger issue for your tenants.
2. Warping, Discoloration, or Dark Spots
Another issue that can occur with flooring is warping, discoloration, or dark spots. These are telltale signs of water damage and should be taken seriously since water damage leads to mold.
If a tenant spills water on the floor and doesn’t clean it properly or if there is a leak somewhere in the apartment that seeps into the floor (which is another issue to address, too), mold only takes 24-48 hours to grow — and grow quickly. If left untouched for a couple of days, the mold can become much more difficult to remove, likely requiring professionals to step in to remove it.
Water damage can also cause rotting in your flooring and its support beams, specifically with wood flooring. This can become a structural issue that could potentially total to a much larger cost than replacing the floors right away.
Luxury vinyl flooring is resistant to water damage, making it an excellent choice for areas prone to moisture. Engineered hardwood is another durable option that resists warping, providing a stylish and practical solution for rental properties.
3. Creaking
Creaking is usually a sign that flooring is ready to be updated, and the sound could be for multiple reasons. The subfloor may be damaged, and the only way to tell is to pull up the flooring and look. This may seem inconvenient, but it’s a good opportunity to check for rotting in the subfloor that would otherwise go unnoticed and cause a bigger issue down the line.
Another reason your floor might be creaking could be from age rather than subfloor damage. As hardwood floors age, they expand and contract, either with the moisture levels in the ground or with your property’s foundation, and this movement over time can cause the floors to creak when stepped on. Laminate flooring can also creak due to age or poor installation, which may lead to instability and noise.
The third reason your floors may be creaking is from poor binding methods used to adhere to your flooring. Mistakes or issues that were made with glue, staples, or nails could cause your flooring to be unstable and creak when stepped on.
4. Excessive Age
As a general rule, floors such as carpets should be replaced after around ten to fifteen years, unless the floors are made of hardwood, concrete, or stone. Though flooring is meant to sustain wear and tear over long periods of time, nothing lasts forever, so if your floors are older, they’re more likely to show signs of some of the other issues on this list: cracking, creaking, and rotting in the subfloor.
Older flooring can also be visually unappealing. Just like with clothes or music, interior design trends change over time, and as years go by, your unit’s flooring may not fit the aesthetics of current trends. Keeping your units up-to-date visually can help attract new tenants and stop your units from sitting vacant.
The lifespan of your flooring may vary based on type and quality, but you should stay on a house maintenance schedule and check in on your unit’s floors here and there to ensure they don’t create problems as they age. Choosing durable flooring is especially important for rental properties, as it will better withstand tenant turnover and frequent cleaning. Flooring in areas with heavy foot traffic, such as kitchens and bathrooms, needs to be particularly resilient to significant wear and tear.
5. Updating to Increase Property Value
A reason to replace your floors that goes hand in hand with age is updating to increase the value of your property. If you’re planning on selling the unit soon or are interested in doing renovations, replacing dated or worn flooring is a good place to start. Advertising both through online listings and in-person walkthroughs that your unit has brand-new vinyl flooring can help you generate tenant leads and decrease the tenant vacancy rate for your properties. It can even give you a reason to increase the price of rent to reflect the value.
What kind of flooring materials increase rental properties’ values the most? Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring, known for its aesthetic appeal and durability, is an excellent choice for this purpose. Tile flooring, with its low-maintenance and moisture-resistant properties, is another great flooring option to consider. And while hardwood flooring requires more specialized care, its timeless appeal will doubtlessly be appreciated by tenants—many of whom will pay more for this feature.
Conclusion
When doing rental property maintenance, you shouldn’t need to replace your floors on a consistent basis. After all, floors are meant to last. Over time, though, keep an eye out for these problems and take tenant reports of flooring issues seriously. By staying on top of flooring maintenance, you’ll ensure the safety of your tenants, increase the value of your units, and keep your rental properties in the best shape possible.
