Hi all, I am currently renovating and looking at WHAT THE TENANT WANTS:
This is a regional property WA with severe climate, ie winters, very cold, summers very dry and hot.
I have listed some of my priorities
Airconditioning
Heating
Clean efficient ovenCan you let me know what your priorities are with your IP I would like to compare notes….
Thanks [biggrin]
Good Q, Marisa- and thanks for asking it. I’m a tenant as well as having IP’s, and I live in an incredibly secure apartment. And I was thinking the other day, that it’s my number 1 priority- security!
Marisa, I also reckon tenants want a place that is light and airy (in addition to the things you’ve written). Winter can be bad if you live in a dark place. Add light wherever possible, I reckon.
I also like secure parking. So a garage might be a must for your place. My apartment block has undercover “security” parking, but I’ve heard of places whereby people come in and vandalise all the cars. My place has a lockable car cage, so that kills off that vandalism potential. Point of this comment is: garage is good for your IP (I know it’s a house)- carport is less good.
If oyu want to be really kind to your tenant [blush2] and I don’t think it costs much, you can get those heat things for the bathroom, so when you come out of the bath, it’s all warm, then I think those heat lights are fantastic.
Just a few thoughts
kay henry
hi! One of my tenants agreed to rent because our property had security screens and deadlocks to external doors. Hint- good fly screens on windows and draught stoppers fixed to the backs of doors. Also, look out for reasonably priced coated curtains to keep out light/heat and keep in warmth.
Dani
HI Marisa,
I am of the opinion that the priorities are somewhat determined by the location of the property and in your case you have number one and two pegged beautifully.
I would add that the cooling capacity needs to reach all rooms in your case as the evenings can be ‘warm’ and as such you may be best to put in a ducted evaporative unit – they work wonderfully in the dry heat. Failing this a reverse cycle split system in the lounge/living area and ceiling fans to the bedrooms so your tenants can sleep well.
A slow combustion wood fire may be OK for heating purposes – but check the ease of getting or price of buying wood. Bottled gas is an expensive fuel to use when trying to heat a place in the middle of winter.
For me my priorities (not necessarily in order) are A/C, security and lock up garage.
Derek
[email protected]Property Investment Support Available. Ongoing and never stopping. PM welcome.
Marisa,
Hi, I would agree with the others re, heating cooling, definently fans in the bedrooms. Apart from that I think these are the essentials, attractive things like broadband can also be added to attract tenants. One thing I have found very important is an outside entertainment area. This does not have to be expensive (small paved area, brick bbq, umbrella and chairs) but will really add to the attractiveness of the property. Also if you are prepared to spend a bit more (and probably not so much for the cheaper rural properties) a decent paved area with shade such as an attractive sail will add bucks to the value when you come to resell the property.Cheers
Hi Marissa,
I agree with everyone’s comments.
A thought may be to check the hot water system is big enough to cope with the no. of people who will be using the bathroom.
Also, here in Sa if we, as landlords, install a neatheat unit in the bathroom, we are responsible to keep up the supply of globes (heatlamps are approx $20 each here). May be worth checking with your PM what the deal is there.
The flyscreens and outdoor area are important, we spoke to a tennant of a house we bought as to why she was leaving when the house came on the market, and that’s the two things she stated.Good luck with it, Diane
I also live in an area where the summer is hot and dry. Evaporative A/C is great in these areas and heaps cheaper than refrigerated (both to install and run). In the summer an entertainment or living area that is shaded and enclosed with insect mesh is blissful in the evenings. If you don’t have a LUG then even a carport helps to stop the car turning into a mobile oven.
As far as winter goes there are lots of options for heating and as long as they service the whole house then I think it is OK. Depending on which direction your house faces a large glassed in sunroom can be a nice place to warm up.
Cheers
SonjaPS. Well placed deciduous trees are also good once they are large enough to provide shade in summer and let the sun through in winter.
Sonja, how frequently do evaporative airconditioners need servicing?
And is that a job that has to be done professionally or would it be quite easy to do that yourself?Celivia
Hi Marissa,
I agree with all the others.
Maybe you should also consider what sort of tennant the home would suit. This might help you see what else it needs if you identify a couple of demographics and look from their point of view.
Is this and industrial town, farming, mining?A couple of things that I thought of were;
storage – linen cupboards, bedroom built ins, garden shed.
And a fence.How much of a reno are you doing…a face lift or major surgery?
Matt[medieval]Matt
I’d say heating and cooling knock it on the head. Security depends upon the town, some still don’t lock their back doors yet others steal your taps, go figure!
I have one tenant who rented our place because there was no lawn, he detested mowing lawns so that was his main reason for renting. He’s still there over two years later. We had another tenant who’s only requirement the whole time he rented was a particlar brand of Ant Killer. As he never asked for anything else to be done we obliged, it was a small price to pay to keep a good tenant.
So although demographics defines some areas of importance, each tenant is different too.
PK
MJT, Good idea re the built-in wardrobes- I think it’s a bit of essential in 2004.
PK, yes, security might be in the eye of the beholder, but I still think people want to be able to be able to lock up doors and things, for computers, any equipment people might have- including outdoor stuff, or even for their family’s security. I think there’s a difference in choosing not to lock up, and not being able to lock up.
kay henry
Kaye Henry, good point. (The choice to lock up).
Will go buy a security door this week for rural IP! As a kid we lived semi rural and back door was never locked, but there was a lock and key if we’d have chosen to.
Like everyone – a tenant wants value for money.
So just set the price to just below market value. If you dont get a tenant then look and see what the opposition in your area offers for the same price.
Why add all this stuff if people are not prepared to pay for it anyway.
I agree don’t overcapitalise.
Hi Clivia, to be honest, I’m a bit slack with this sort of thing. I just use it and if it breaks then I complain (we are renting at the moment). I will look into it and post my findings here though. I should know as we are looking at a couple of local properties as potential PPOR and all have evaporative A/C.
Cheers
SonjaSOnja, I am just a bit concerned about the health hazards of utelising an unclean evaporative airconditioner.
I remember some time ago, reading an article in some health magazine about bacteria and mould growing in evaporative airconditioners.
These mould gases and spread of bacteria throughout the living areas can lead to infections and even asthma, especially in children.Regular servicing may be necessary to prevent growth of mould/bacteria.
I’m just wondering how frequently these airco units should be serviced.Celivia
I have an evapouritive cooler in our PPOR in Melbourne. Its excellent. Its about 3-4 yrs old.
I did not think we needed to have it checked regularly. Its in the upstairs roof and every time you turn it off the water tank empties and fills up when you turn it on.
Maybe I should give the cooler guy a call? What do you reckon?
Yes, give him a call. There is some minor maintenance (cleaning) of the cooler that supposedly should happen yearly.
Regards
PKBeing married to a “fridgey” – the word is – it depends on the make and style of your air con. If over 10 years of age the pads need washing out every 12 months and the tanks need to be flushed out regularly when not in use. Newer models have auto systems which “dump” the water and celtic pads which don’t require such regular maintenance.
Regards, Diane[cap]
Yes, it appears that the newer models require less maintenance (ours is only 3 or 4 yrs). I am also led to believe that having a yearly “check up” is a good idea to be sure that everything is working the way it should. I am also told that with the older models the yearly maintenance is more of an issue. One thing to be careful of with evaporative A/C is that there should be a pipe that runs from the unit to the guttering. This is because there is a concentrated amount of salt in the water that is dumped when the unit is shut down. This can lead to rust problems both in and around the unit as well as the roof.
This is the info I have been given by asking around people I know – not professional advice.
Cheers
Sonja
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