A rental home’s garage provides a lot of appeal to a home. However, some well-intentioned tenants, who just want to preserve the appeal of the home, can be damaging a rental home’s garage without knowing it. Damage to garage interiors, garage doors, windows, and other elements do occur, and misuse or neglect isn’t always the cause.
There are instances when a tenant would try to be helpful, but the problem is that they don’t really know how to properly clean or maintain a rental home’s garage. When that is the case, expensive and unnecessary repairs are often the result. By giving your Pleasanton 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 is broken, the whole garage could become a liability instead of an asset.
The garage door needs regular cleaning and maintenance since it’s the most visible exterior element. It is important that it stays working properly and looking nice. There are different ways a tenant could accidentally damage a garage door. They could use the wrong tools or cleaning products when cleaning it or they could forget to do basic maintenance tasks. For example, different garage doors are made from different materials. Some are painted, while others are vinyl or metal. Let’s say a tenant attempts to power spray a painted door clean, that could cause extensive damage to the garage door. They may be well-intentioned, but using the wrong tools to clean a door may cause big problems. Harsh household cleaners can also damage a door’s exterior finish, causing far more harm than good.
Going past appearances, a garage door can only work properly if it has a functional opener, springs, hinges, and rollers These parts may rust, wear out, or break over time and through heavy use. In fact, when a garage door opens and closes and it produces a loud noise, that may mean the door’s hardware is in trouble and needs to be lubricated. This very easy maintenance task can profoundly extend the useful life of a garage door.
The windows, floor, and cabinets in a garage are typically the parts that sustain unintentional damage. Some garages have stains from a leaking car engine. Oil stains on concrete floors are notoriously difficult to clean. Exhaust fumes, dirt, and other substances can collect 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, regular cleaning and maintenance can easily prevent all these issues. What makes it difficult is that the tenant may not know how to do it correctly.
To illustrate, the methods used to clean up motor oil stains are entirely different from the methods used for other substances. The correct tools and cleaning materials must be used so that cleaning it would solve the problem and not make it bigger. 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. To avoid continued wear and further damage, it would be good for a tenant to have the right information with them and also posses a good amount of oversight. Doing this ensures that the rental home’s garage will be kept in good condition.
Keeping track of a tenant’s cleaning and maintenance record can be time-consuming and difficult for property owners. That is the reason why having a professional property management company is really an excellent decision.
At Real Property Management One, one of our services is to help property owners prepare their tenants on the proper care and upkeep of their rental homes in Pleasanton and conduct regular checks to ensure that such tasks are being done. The property management professionals in our team can help safeguard your valuable investment from unintentional damage and prevent expensive and unnecessary repairs. Don’t hesitate to contact us online or give us a ring at 925-794-8339 to know more about what we can do for you.
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