A rental home’s garage plays a big part in the total appeal of the home. But even tenants who want to preserve the appeal could still be damaging a rental home’s garage without realizing it. Damage to garage interiors, garage doors, windows, and other elements is not unheard of, and it’s not always because of misuse or neglect.
There are times that a tenant means well but they just don’t know the correct method of cleaning and maintaining a rental home’s garage. When that is the case, expensive and unnecessary repairs are often the result. By giving your Venice tenants the right information, you can do a lot to prevent unintentional damage and keep your valuable investment in good condition.
A garage is an important part of a quality single-family rental home. A good garage door enhances the home’s curb appeal, while the interior, windows, cabinets, and even the garage door opener can have a big impact on a tenant’s satisfaction. But all of these elements must go through regular proper maintenance to keep them working well. If one part of the garage is damaged, then all other parts would also be affected. The whole garage will turn to be more of a burden than an asset.
The garage door, since it’s the most visible exterior element, needs to stay working properly and looking nice. It needs regular cleaning and maintenance. A tenant could unwittingly damage a garage door in different ways, from failing to do basic maintenance tasks to cleaning using the wrong tools and cleaning products. For instance, some garage doors are made from one material while others are made from other materials. Some are painted, while others are vinyl or metal. If a tenant power sprays a painted door clean, that could end up causing extensive damage to the door. They may have wanted to help, but regardless of intention, cleaning a garage door with the wrong tools will always be a bad idea. Harsh household cleaners can also damage a door’s exterior finish, causing far more harm than good.
Going beyond appearances, a garage door also needs to have a functional opener, springs, hinges, and rollers for it to open and close properly. These components can rust, wear out, or break over time and through heavy use. In fact, a loud garage door often indicates that the door’s hardware is in trouble and needs to be lubricated. This task to maintain the garage door is so simple yet it can considerably extend its useful life.
The windows, floor, and cabinets in a garage are also some usual parts that get unintentional damage. Many garages have oil stains on concrete floors that come from a leaking car engine. These are very difficult to remove. Exhaust fumes, dirt, and other substances can build up on windows and seriously compromise the tracks, locks, and glass. Cabinets may be crushed or broken by heavy storage items or even parking a vehicle too close. Just like the garage door, all of these issues can be prevented or corrected with routine cleaning and maintenance. The problem is that a tenant may not know how to do it.
As an example, the way to clean up motor oil is wholly different from the way one cleans up other substances. The correct tools and cleaning materials should be used or else the effort of cleaning it may make the problem bigger instead. Harsh chemicals or scrub brushes can scratch or damage windows and window tracks as well as cabinets, but regular household cleaners may not be enough to get the grime off either. So that continued wear and further damage would be avoided, it would be better for a tenant to possess the correct information and also have a significant amount of oversight. This way, the rental home’s garage is sure to be kept in great condition.
Keeping track of a tenant’s cleaning and maintenance record can be time-consuming and difficult for property owners. That is why hiring a professional property management company is a really smart option.
At Real Property Management California Coast, we help property owners teach their tenants on the proper care and upkeep of their rental homes in Venice and conduct regular checks to ensure that such tasks are being done. Our team of property management professionals can help secure your valuable investment from unintentional damage and prevent expensive and unnecessary repairs. Feel free to contact us online or by phone at 310-535-2150. We’ll be glad to answer any of your questions.
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