Eight Lazy Renovations to Look Out for When Buying a Former Rental Property
Finding a starter home can be an exercise in figuring out how little money you actually have. You may feel pretty good when you find out how much you’ve been pre-approved to borrow, but increasingly, finding a home that meets all your needs and fits your budget is becoming a huge challenge.
One potential solution is to look at a home that has previously been rented out for some time. These homes are sometimes a bargain because of the real or perceived wear and tear they have suffered and because the homeowners selling them are often interested in closing quickly. But that “wear and tear” part is real, and the worst part about it is that even if the home’s exterior passes inspection with flying colors, there may be a host of hidden problems due to years of deferred maintenance and sketchy repairs. works, often called “Landlord Specials” (or, on the other hand, “Tenant Specials”).
These “repairs” are usually more about hiding defects and problems in order to get a new tenant (or return the deposit) with minimal investment. The end result is a superficial repair that can be done at first glance, but will cost you time and money down the road. Here are the most common landlord-tenant specials to look for when purchasing a former rental home.
Painted everything over
The standard “landlord special” renovation that gives the meme its name is painting, and a lot of it. The white paint was usually applied thickly and with the grace of a drunken gorilla. Landlord custom paint is an equal opportunity: everything from your door chain to your socket covers will be covered in a thick coat of paint, usually multiple coats, dating back decades. Bugs, hair, garbage, stickers – everything that residents leave behind is painted over . Some homeowners seem to think that white paint is the magic elixir that will fix all problems.
This may be difficult to notice during a casual walkthrough; in dim light, a fresh coat of white paint can look clean and crisp. And the home inspector can’t flag it because it doesn’t cause any harm or violate any code. Only after you move in do you discover that a colony of ants is buried under the paint, and the previous owner also painted over the door hinges. Before purchasing, pay close attention to the condition of the house’s paint.
Floor over carpet
One solution shared by landlords and tenants is to install laminate or vinyl flooring over existing carpet . For landlords, this improves the appearance of the place and preserves the (presumably) quality carpet from wear and tear by temporary occupants. And renters see it as a way to improve their space without losing their deposit or spending a ton of money.
Of course, if you take this to lazy and cheap extremes, it can be a nasty surprise if you think you’re buying a place with flooring you can live on for a few years. It’s always a good idea to carefully inspect the floors in any room; sometimes there is a gold mine of hardwood floors buried there. Sometimes this is a special offer from the landlord.
Walls covered with paper
Anyone who has moved out of an apartment with signs of wild parties and random fist fights knows this: if you have a hole in the wall and don’t have time to fix it (because your landlord comes with an inspection or potential tenants are checking the place out), you can hide any hole using only paint and a piece of paper . The results won’t be perfect, but it will make the hole virtually invisible—for a while. And yes, both homeowners and renters actually do this , so you should carefully inspect any uneven, peeling, or other imperfections on the walls.
Contact paper cabinets
Peel and stick contact paper or vinyl wrap is an economical way to give your kitchen cabinets a fresh, new look. If a shady homeowner or desperate renter can find something that matches the texture and color of the cabinets, this can also be a clever way to fake a renovation and hide damage to those cabinets (and any other surface that can be reasonably matched). If you think the cabinets in that former rental space can be used, make sure the problems aren’t hidden by a layer of vinyl.
Mismatched Fixtures
Both landlords and tenants tend to solve problems as they arise, without a clear repair plan. Fixing things on the fly gets everyone back into their busy lives, keeps rent flowing, and kicks the can down the road—ultimately to you.
One thing that’s easy to overlook is the decades of replacing every light fixture in the house one by one when they fail. You may not notice that every knob, knob, and latch in this home is a different style and material until you move in, especially if the homeowners and renters put at least some effort into getting replacements that are close to the original.
Partial gender
You’ve been told that the previous home you’re buying has new wood floors. Amazing! They look good, were recently installed, and even match your overall style. You struck gold.
Then you move in and actually move that carpet in the living room only to discover that the previous owner saved a few bucks by only putting flooring where it would be visible and leaving everything under the carpet as plywood . Just like tiling a kitchen floor without moving appliances, it creates an illusion that only works if you never decide to move the furniture.
Painted Bathtubs and Tiles
Painting tiles and refinishing a bathtub can be done relatively cheaply, but unless you’re very careful, the results probably won’t be very good. However, for many landlords and tenants, the idea of spending $30 on paint is more than spending on repairs or replacements. In fact, sometimes people don’t bother purchasing any special paint at all, and literally just paint the bathtub, tiles, and even the sink with standard white paint , which won’t hold up to the dampness and humidity of a bathroom or kitchen. It looks nice at first, so he’ll get his deposit back or rent the place out again. Don’t let this escape you as a buyer.
Repair of glued carpet
Smart renters know it’s worth spending time, not money, when moving out of a rental. If the carpet has been damaged by chairs, closet doors, pets or other accidents, bald spots can be fixed by cutting the carpet fibers in an unseen area and simply gluing them back on . The repair is rough, but it won’t be noticeable until you start living there and walking on this carpet.