Updating post from Reddit.
I'm wondering if anyone has any stories about things they are glad they changed/wish they changed with their rental.
A property I rent out is soon to be vacated by the tenant and I am going to take the opportunity to renovate the 3 bed semi. I am already thinking about the energy performance requirements and how to future proof myself there with better loft insulation, possibly new windows etc... it's already had a new front door along with new facia boards and guttering. We are thinking a about updating the kitchen and bathroom too.
Any recommendations greatly welcome!
Thanks in advance.
Always worth thinking about the heating system and pipework whilst kitchen and bathroom out. Even if for future works.
Thanks, we put in a new boiler a couple of years ago, but yes, planning on taking off and flushing the radiators. Will also look at the pipe work while the floorboards are accessible. Thanks for the good advice.
You’re welcome, Hope you find good tenants who don’t trash the joint!
Yes, I do property maintenance for landlords - here is my list;
Get decent quality wastes and U bends. Go for MacAlpine. Blows my minds how many tenants wait until the kitchen units are swollen up like weetabix to report a leaking waste.
Don’t go integrated for your appliances. They look nicer but will cost more than double if you ever have to replace them.
LVT is better than laminate. No beading that gets scuffed, and won’t swell if there is a leak.
Do not let the plumber run a load of plumbing inside the cupboard under the sink. Had too many damaged sink units that are close to impossible to replace because the main stopcock is inside the unit, boiler condensate links into the waste under the sink, etc etc. keep as much plumbing under or behind in case you ever need to replace.
Go for a kitchen design and colour where you will be able to replace a single door in 10 years. White gloss slab from Howdens feels unlikely to change or be discontinued. The hours I’ve put into sourcing cream doors that nobody else sells anymore is unreal.
Try and pick a bath where there is a big enough gap behind the taps to replace the silicone. It will need doing in the future, and it’ll save you the cost of having the taps taken off.
If you have a TMV in the bathroom, it will fail one day. Make sure it’s positioned under the bath, behind the panel, and accessible.
When the sink cut out has been made in the worktop, seal the raw edge of the worktop before putting the sink in. Tenants often happily seem to watch the worktop swelling up before telling you there’s a problem.
At some point, the lock cylinder on the front door will break, and need replacing. Keep a note of the size, so maintenance can replace it inside of 10 mins in one visit.
No concealed showers behind tile, ever.
Keep spare tiles. Put them under the bath behind the panel.
Keep notes of makes and models of anything you fit in a word document. Make and models of taps, toilets, sink, skirting board, flooring, paint colours, worktops - everything you can think of. Even if what you fit gets discontinued, this can be a lifesaver. Got a dripping tap? That’s enough information to replace the cartridge instead of the whole tap. Send this document to any maintenance people you hire.
Thanks! This list is great! We were discussing integrated units in the kitchen so this is a big help. Also love the idea of putting the tiles under the bath, and yeah, no pipe work behind tiles. Great advice! Also, given that we regrouted the bath a couple of years ago and struggled with the tap that's a great thing to consider.
If it isn’t all about money, and/or you want to really future proof/make a nice home:
Any external work on roof, then look at PV.
Loft insulation is effective.
Battery is a lot of £ but ability to load shift will dramatically reduce bills. 7pkwh vs 30pkwh. But not sure if this has an impact on EPC. Should make it more appealing but then no ROI I guess
Thanks, and yeah, I've thought about solar and battery but I am concerned that adding anything that isn't "ordinary" might be confusing for people. I know I would like it to be wired up like that, but I also don't want a load of phonecalls between tenants, energy companies and alike when things don't "just work".
Solar and battery, from a good supplier and installer, can be easily setup.
Ours is Givenergy: took a few weeks to work it out but now I don’t touch it, just works. So it can be done, but so need to work out if it is worth it.
Things like inverters will need replacing eventually.
I guess with PV you might be able to set it up on an export tariff that you get paid for: so the tenant doesn’t get the benefit but you do? It would defo work from a utility view (export is different to normal supply contract), and I think it would be fine - otherwise more exp’d than me may say otherwise.
Neutral colours that will not be discontinued. Dulux natural hessian is my go to.
What does your epc say, ie where do you score low on that.l ook to improve those things