How Often Do You Need to Paint Your Rental Property?

Managing a rental property can be a full-time job. No matter whether you’re renting the property out full-time or running an AirBNB, being a landlord takes a lot of time and energy. Aside from taking on the full role of the landlord and arranging for new tenants to make your property a home, you also need to keep up with the maintenance and design of the home. Even if you let out your home unfurnished, you are still responsible for making the foundations of the home in top condition including the flooring and the walls. Painting walls is not a difficult task, but it can become time-consuming if you are left to take on the project yourself. 

Painting the walls requires at least a day’s work, and it will also require your tenants to be out of the property. If you are unsure as to how often you should be painting the property, take a look at the following suggestions:

Know Your Responsibilities 

As the landlord, you are most likely responsible for the upkeep of the property unless you have specifically stated to the tenant that they will be held responsible for such tasks. Leaving the walls of your property to go untouched and left to get worse should not be an option, and it can lead to an even bigger job to complete if forgotten about. It could even open you up to legal consequences, as if the tenant can prove that you have provided housing that is not up-to-standard, you could be faced with a fine. It is your responsibility to ensure that the home looks fantastic and is in working order, and that includes all of the decorative tasks around the house. If the property has substandard paint and it is flaky or peeling, you need to make sure that you paint it more often. This is one of the key ways you can protect yourself as a landlord. 

Stay on Top of Property Inspections 

Knowing the current state of your rental property should first be confirmed before you jump into buying fresh buckets of paint. Tenant inspection should ideally be every 3 months, and this can be extended to 6 months if you are dealing with a reliable tenant. Tenants can cause paint to flake off or be damaged for a myriad of different reasons. For example, if your tenants cook a lot or have lengthy, steamy showers – you might expect to see paint flaking off more. Furthermore, if they splash cosmetics such as vegan skin care products or heavy duty makeup on the walls, this could affect the paint job.  If you have not been to your property for a while, schedule a visit to check out all the walls to see what kind of state they are in.

When To Consider Re-Painting

Once you have seen the current condition of the walls, you should immediately evaluate whether you actually do need to repaint your home. If any of the following are present in the home, you should start making arrangements with the painter and decorator. Take into consideration the following circumstances as to when you should consider repainting:

If There Is Paint Peeling 

When there are chunks of paint peeling off the wall, or there are scuffs that are featured across them, then it might be time to get a fresh cost of paint across the walls. This looks really bad, and if you leave it, could prevent you from finding tenants in the future. You can instantly transform the market value of your rental property by just adding a few licks of paint.  Rather than spending too much time completing all of the rooms, do the rooms that are especially in need of some DIY work. By being smart about which rooms you should pick first, you will save yourself a lot of time and money. However, it’s imperative that you redecorate rooms that are looking worse for wear. Be honest with yourself as to which rooms are missing the freshness they need. If you neglect to paint rooms that need redecorating, it could impact the long-term value of your rental property. If it’s left, it could get worse and be more difficult to fix. Get painting as soon as you see damage!

If You Have a Long-Term Tenant Who is Looking for a Change

A lot of landlords neglect the importance of keeping their long-term tenants happy. If you have a tenant who has looked after your property well, you might consider asking them if they would like some fresh paint in the home, perhaps with featured wall additions. It is in your best interests to look after tenants who look after your property – it could cost you a lot of money if you end up with a bad tenant! This is just a small and thoughtful way to show your best tenants they are appreciated, and you might even spoil them with some new curtains as well if they’re lucky. If you look after your tenants, they will look after your property. 

After Each Tenancy 

Each tenancy ideally would need a fresh lick of paint depending on how long the house was lived in. Even though they know their home is not brand new, inducing the feeling of a fresh property for new tenants is more appealing than moving into a home that has lots of wear and tear. Home’s get lived in, but fresh paint can make the home feel much more lively and homely. For this reason, make sure you re-paint the property between each tenancy.

Make Sure Paint Matches Furniture 

One of the best tips you need to consider when you’re repainting a property is to make sure the paint you use matches your furniture. If you really want to revamp your rental property, you could invest in furniture paint in order to coordinate your walls and furniture! Top Tip: Before you get started on painting your furniture, make sure that the tenant hasn’t left any expensive going out dresses or suits in their wardrobes or drawers – you could end up with a very unhappy tenant if paint gets splashed on them! However, creating a more cohesive home for your tenants is one of the best things you can do if you want to keep them happy. 

Bottom Line

Overall, being a landlord is a full-time role that involves important jobs such as managing tenants, making their home safe and also making it seem aesthetically pleasing. The demands of being a landlord never stops!  A fresh coat of paint is the least you can do for your best tenants, and also between each new tenancy. This small change could help you retain the value of your rental property, and keep the space fresh and interesting. 

If you think you need to paint your rental property, make sure you do your research to find the best paint choices.