Damages are something that all landlords have to deal with, and a large percentage of the time they are only small, however this doesn’t mean they are any less annoying. Even small damages can end up costing you money, especially due to the fact that they happen frequently. However, there are some clever tricks of the trade that you can use in order to fix small damages and have your properties looking their best again in no time:
Spills and Stains
Stains range from the small blemish on the carpet to a massive mark on an expensive piece of furniture. However, they often look worse than they actually are which means that getting rid of them can be relatively easy. We’ve all heard that if you spill red wine you can remove it with white, however there are some more practical and cost effective methods. For example, salt is great for soaking up stains and is completely odour free which means that you won’t have to air out your house or worry about it harming any materials. Diluted white vinegar is also popular among those that don’t want to use products that contain strong chemicals, however if you do use this you will need to make sure you clean it up properly afterwards or it could leave a smell in your house!Burns
Fire is one of the biggest concerns for landlords as it can destroy a property in a matter of minutes and also ruin people’s lives. However, it’s not just fires that landlords have to be concerned about but also burns from appliances such as irons, hair straighteners and baking trays can all quickly scorch both carpets and furniture in your properties by being placed down on an unsuitable surface. If your tenant realised their mistake quick enough then they will have hopefully moved the item before it has caused more than just surface damage which is quite easy to fix. For instance, carpets that have small burns can be spruced up by using a coarse brush in order to fluff up the fibres again. Meanwhile, scalded wooden furniture can be given a new lease of life with a bit of sanding!Pet Hair
If you have decided to allow pets in your houses then you will find that fur and hair will find its way everywhere! Generally, landlords that choose to allow pets in their properties add a clause in their tenancy agreements that states the tenants will have to pay for extra cleaning at the end of their tenancies. This can come in extremely handy especially if the pets in question were particularly messy and you need to call in a professional cleaner, however if it’s just pet hair you are concerned about you can use some of this money to buy a dedicated vacuum cleaner. These types of vacuum cleaners come with special attachments that pick up pet hair easily, meaning you won’t have to spend hours on the job!Scuffed Walls
If your property had a number of tenants living there all at one time then it is highly likely that you will find scuffs on the wall once they move out. These come from people bumping into the wall on their way in and out, especially if they are carrying things such as shopping bags, bicycles or even just their coats! Getting scuffs off of walls is actually quite easy, however if you don’t use the right products you could end up doing more damage than good. Some people swear by using warm soapy water to clean their walls, however if they are decorated with certain types of paint you could end up stripping it, especially if you scrub too hard. Your local hardware store will have ‘decorator’s wipes’ or ‘sugar wipes’ which are specifically designed to remove dirt and grease from walls without damaging the paintwork. However, before using these across your whole wall you should test them on a small discreet patch so if they do cause any damage it won’t mean you have to repaint the whole wall!If your tenants damage your property during their tenancy your landlord insurance and their deposit will help pay towards getting things back to normal. Howe
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