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The fact is, most tenants do not treat a rental property as if it were their own. This can be very disturbing for most landlords, but should actually be expected. Even in a rental car, a lot of people feel, oh, it’s “just a rental”. There are just too many horror stories from landlords that when a tenant moves out, the property is a complete mess. However, there are solutions for landlords to cut down on the repairs and headaches of dealing with these problems.

When most landlords rehab a property, they use the all of the lowest prices materials that they can find. But there is one problem, these low priced materials do not last long and do not hold up to any extra wear and tear or abuse. So is the landlord actually saving money? Why not consider using better materials that are built to last longer and is more durable? This may really cut down on a lot of your service calls and/or necessary repairs when a tenant moves out.

Most of the time you will find that higher priced material will stand up to abuse and last much longer than so called “economical” materials. For instance, the cost of re-tiling a floor is far greater than the extra cost of good tiles. In the end if you use good, tough and high quality materials, you will save money and have a much nicer property to boot.

Here’s a list of just some of the long lasting items available…

1. Smoke Detectors with a 10 year battery
2. Light Bulb, long life or lifetime
3. Carpet, stain resistant and/or low pile
4. Floor Tile, heavy duty lifetime guarantee
5. Paint, egg-shell or stain finish (not flat paint)

Be sure to pay attention to what items need to be repaired or replaced when a tenant moves out or calls in a repair. Ask yourself if there are better quality items that would have prevented this repair? And, next time you are in a hotel room, pay attention to the materials that they use. You will often find low pile carpet, ceramic tile floors, heavy duty doors and many other tough, high quality items.

Another common problem that landlords have to deal with is pest control. You can save a lot of money by purchasing professional quality exterminating products online and you can do your own pest control. For example, there are bait stations for roaches that are designed to last at least a year; this is much better then using exterminating spray.

Using better quality, longer lasting products will almost always save you money in the end. This will make your job as a landlord easier; you can offer your tenant a nicer rental and increase your rental income. Don’t allow the same maintenance repairs to happen again and again in your rental, this will just drive you crazy. Spend a little money, take care of your rental and it will take care of you for years to come.