Property Management Tips – How To Get Rid Of Bad Smells That Tenants Leave Behind
Searching for property management tips? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
One of the most common problems that landlords face is removing bad smells from their rental property that a tenant has left behind.
Smells are a fact of life, especially when you consider that your tenants may have families with children and everyday living may be responsible for them leaving behind a rental property that has smells that are difficult to eliminate.
Thankfully, you can get rid of smells in your rental property, before you show the rental property to your next prospective tenants, simply by following these tips.
Property Management Tip #1 – Air Out The Rental Property
One of the best ways to get rid of smells at a rental property is by airing it out when you open the windows and let the fresh air in.
Besides opening the windows to eliminate smelly odors, you should also leave a ceiling fan on in the rental property while it’s vacant because this will circulate airflow in the property and eliminate potential mold growth during the winter months.
Property Management Tip #2 – Determine What Needs To Be Replaced
If you’re still noticing the smells inside the Oregon property, even after airing it out and doing some deep cleaning, the next thing to do is determine where the smell is specifically coming from.
Once you find out where the smell is coming from and determine if it needs to be replaced.
For example, carpeting typically is one culprit when it comes to smells inside a property because carpet absorbs smells and they can be difficult to remove so if you think the carpet inside your property is locking in a less than appealing odor, you may want to replace it.
Property Management Tip #3 – How To Remove Cigarette Smells
Yes, even though you may have a ‘no smoking’ rule in your lease, your tenants (or their guests) may have smoked inside the property anyway.
Cigarette smells are difficult to eliminate but the reality is that it’s not impossible to remove them especially if you follow these tips.
- Paint – After a cigarette smoker has moved out the most important thing you have to do is repaint the inside of the property because the smell of stale cigarettes will linger until the rental has been completely repainted.
- Replace – Once the property has been repainted, you will then need to replace any window coverings or drapery inside the property because cigarette smoke also clings to window coverings and can be hard to eliminate.
- Clean – Any surfaces that haven’t been repainted should also be thoroughly cleaned as well with an odor-eliminating solution so that the property smells clean and fresh when a prospective tenant comes to tour it.
Property Management Tip #4 – Eliminate Pet Odors
Let’s say that you allow pets in your property and found that once the tenant moved out, the property still smelled like a dog or cat. In this case, you will need to take a black light to the carpeting/flooring to determine if the animal may have relieved itself inside the property.
Once you determine that there is dried pet urine inside the rental, you can move forward with replacing the flooring and thoroughly cleaning that area so that the property doesn’t have any trace of pet smells when new tenants come to tour it.
How to prevent bad smells in your rental unit
The best way to reduce vacancy time and maximize cash flow is to prevent bad smells from permeating the unit in the first place. Preventative measures may involve some investment, but you will save time and resources related to deep cleaning after the tenant moves out.
For example, it can be pretty costly to clean or replace carpets, soft furnishings, or upholstered furniture—but if you don’t take preventative measures, you’ll likely have to do so at some point. Likewise, repainting walls to remove unpleasant odors takes time and money. And hiring a professional cleaning crew will eat into your profits.
Of course, thoroughly screening prospective tenants is one way to prevent cleanliness issues or look after the rental unit. But even when you screen your tenants, these types of issues can occur. As such, here are a few tips on preventing the foul smells that are difficult to remove.
Conduct bi-annual or annual inspections
You should always have a clause in the lease that specifies your right to carry out regular inspections of the unit. These inspections allow you to address any issues in the apartment before they are completely out of control. For example, you will typically be able to detect bad smells from issues like pets, garbage buildup, smoking, or illegal activity, like drug use.
Regular inspections also encourage tenants to clean the place thoroughly before you arrive. During the inspections, you can also check for maintenance issues like dripping plumbing, poor ventilation, or blocked air filters, which will help you to further reduce these types of issues.
Bonus Tips – How to Fix Dog Scratches on Wood Surfaces
Perhaps you’re concerned about the baseboards, wood flooring, and doors in your home. Dogs’ nails can damage these surfaces, especially when they are excited to see their owner returning home. If you find deep scratches on your wood doors or window frames, here’s how to fix them:
- Use coarse sandpaper to sand down the marks. This will remove any rough, raised areas and give you a smooth surface to work with.
- Wipe down the area with a damp cloth and allow it to dry completely.
- Find wood filler that matches the color of the surface you are repairing. Apply the filler with a small putty knife, making sure you fill the gaps.
- Wait for the filler to dry, then sand first with coarse sandpaper followed by fine to smooth it out.
- Wipe the area down once again with a damp cloth, wait for it to dry, then repaint or stain the area.
Contact Rent Portland Homes – Professionals
Are you searching for a reliable property management company in the Beaverton area?
Our team at Rent Portland Homes – Professionals can help! We offer local property management that will save you the time/money/hassle of managing your property yourself.
To learn more about the services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (503) 646-9664 or click here.
