Things to Consider When Painting Your Rental Property

As a landlord in Raleigh NC, you’re always trying to strike a balance between keeping your tenants happy with keeping your maintenance costs low. When you have a vacant unit, you want to inexpensively refresh the apartment to attract new renters. One of the most common decisions you’ll face is whether and how to pent the rental property between leases. It’s an important decision for keeping your property rented while maximizing your profits. Here are some items you’ll want to think about when you’re considering painting a rental home.

Do you need to paint your rental property?

Most of the time, you’re not required to paint between each tenant. Paint should last several years if it was done correctly initially and wasn’t abused by the tenant, so you might not need to paint. But even if you don’t have to paint, maybe you should.

The most common reasons where you absolutely should paint include if the tenant smoked inside, had pets, or stained the walls. Pets and smoke can embed odors in the paint that can’t be washed off, as can incense or some heavy constant cooking smells. In those cases, you’ll need to prime and paint, preferably with an odor-blocking priming. For stains, you can try to clean with a Magic Eraser or a scrubber, which helps with crayons, scuffs, and markers. However, grease stains, lipstick, and dyes are typically permanent stains that could necessitate fresh paint. And then sometimes the paint just gets dingy or dated, even though you’ve (hopefully) chosen a neutral, non-trendy color.

If you’re unsure whether you need to paint or not, go ahead and do it. Painting is an inexpensive repair that yields high return. Fresh paint just makes the place look and smell clean and modern, increasing the number of people interested in renting your property and/or the amount you can charge. Then once your painting is done, it’ll last a few years so you don’t have to worry.

What type of paint should you use?

As with every aspect of your rental business, you’ll need to balance cost and quality. Do you need the highest quality (and most expensive) option, or can you settle for a low-cost option? With some decisions, low-cost might cost you more in the long run, but that’s not typically true with paint.

While you might need a better-quality primer if you’re dealing with smells or grease stains, for paint you can choose a mid-range paint. Just make sure you’re using a light neutral tone and a semi-gloss paint. Bold colors can turn off potential renters and can become dated, while a plain while is too stark and basic. If you don’t want your renters to repaint themselves, you want a choice with wide appeal. For the finish, a semi-gloss option is durable, stain- and scuff-resistant, and easy to clean. Matte finishes won’t durable enough for a rental property, especially in high-traffic areas like hallways or high-stain areas like kitchens.

Where to paint

If you can’t paint the entire home due to time or budget, focus on the most important areas. The first rooms people notice when shopping for a new home are the bathrooms and kitchens. These rooms are also the most stain-prone and need to be repainted more often, so clearly these rooms need your attention first. You’ll also need to evaluate the condition of the existing paint. Bedrooms typically have less damage than high-traffic areas like hallways.

DIY versus professional house painters

While you might be considering doing the painting yourself, room painting services are worth it in the long run. Professionals have the skills, equipment, and experience to do the job right, not to mention safely. Painting seems like an easy task, but an amateur paint job can make your property look low-quality, and that’s even assuming you even have the equipment such as safe ladders.

If you’re looking for painters in my area, call Unlimited Paint & Wallpaper in Raleigh NC today for a free consultation. Our professional house painters are happy to consult with you on colors, schedules, room painting services, and budget to help make your painting job a success!