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Why Removing Carpet is a Smart Move for Your Rental Home

A cozy living room with a couch, coffee table, and hard-surface floors
Periodically replacing the carpet in your Franklin rental is crucial, though few property owners like doing it. Have you contemplated removing the carpet from your rental property once and for all? Rental property owners are increasingly opting for hard-surface flooring instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. If this suggestion seems drastic, consider these reasons why getting rid of the carpet makes sense for both landlords and tenants.

Carpets may harbor dirt and odor

Maintaining carpet cleanliness in a rental home is one of the most difficult tasks. Despite professional cleaning between tenants, they may not maintain the carpets themselves during their stay. When tenants stay for several years, those carpets might accumulate dirt and grime for years.

Carpet fibers are known for clinging to bad odors, particularly if they aren’t cleaned regularly and adequately. Even if your tenant has the carpet cleaned, they likely prefer to avoid the cost or time involved.

On the contrary, hard-surface flooring like laminate or tile is easy to clean. These floors can be scrubbed to shine in a few minutes and as often as tenants wish, ensuring no unpleasant stains or smells. Compared to carpet, hard-surface flooring is far more sanitary for children and individuals with respiratory or health issues.

Avoid soaked carpets in case of a flood

Another reason to eliminate carpets is the difficulty of cleaning them after water leaks and floods. Even a small plumbing issue can lead to severe flooding in a rental, and wet carpets can become a big problem.

Soaked carpets must be removed, and the subflooring, pad, and carpet must be dried immediately and thoroughly to avoid mold growth. If the carpet can’t be dried, it needs to be replaced. If a flooding situation is not handled promptly and correctly, you could endanger your residents’ health and face severe liability.

Most hard-surface flooring, except natural hardwood, is much easier to handle during a flood. Properly installed laminate and vinyl are highly water-resistant and can be dried efficiently. This means avoiding expensive restoration services or floor replacement, just some focused clean-up.

Hardwood floors have a longer lifespan

Everyone knows that carpets should be replaced every five years. Some landlords try to extend this to seven years or even longer—usually to their own detriment. Most residents dislike living with old, worn, or stained carpets. If the carpet is not replaced regularly, tenants may consider moving out.

Old carpets are unsightly and often pose a danger. When carpets age, tacks can emerge and harm people walking on them. Cheap carpet, specifically, doesn’t hold up for more than a few years in rental properties.

In contrast, hard-surface flooring has a much longer lifespan. Though there are ways a tenant could damage a hard-surface floor, most tile or laminate flooring lasts ten to twenty years or more. Laminate flooring costs about the same as carpet but doesn’t require frequent replacement, making it a better choice for rentals.

Ditch the outdated look of carpets

Lastly, wall-to-wall carpeting can sometimes give a rental property an outdated appearance. Modern homes usually limit carpeting, often to the bedrooms or not at all.

For a modern look, consider replacing the carpet in the main living areas with attractive laminate or tile flooring. Unlike carpet, which tenants can’t change, hard-surface flooring allows tenants to add rugs or décor to customize the space while maintaining cleanliness and durability.

Modern laminate tile comes in a wide range of sizes, colors, and patterns, including wood-look tiles that can upgrade your rental without the expense and hassle of natural hardwood.

Discover why hard-surface flooring is beneficial for rental properties. Contact Real Property Management Full Service at 615-467-6281 or online for cost-saving tips on creating appealing, long-lasting interiors that tenants will love. Our property managers in Franklin are experts in reducing maintenance costs without sacrificing tenant appeal.

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