Preparing Sacramento Property Owners for 'Normal Wear and Tear' at Resident Move-Out

We’re talking about a topic we have covered a couple of times: property wear and tear versus property damage and how it impacts the security deposit and move-out. Previous blogs have discussed what kind of life expectancy exists for paint, carpet, and those types of things, but today, we’re talking about the expectation of owners when it comes to resident move-outs. 

Common Expectations of Sacramento Rental Property Owners

Sometimes, we have a resident who stays in place for a while; maybe three to five years. Most property owners expect that when we get their property back, it looks brand new. Your property only looks that way when it’s actually brand new. 

When we get a rental home back, it’s been lived in. 

Whether the resident was there for three yeasr or five years, the home will look lived in. The furniture is gone, so you can see marks on the floor and pathways along high traffic areas. Photographs and art are off the walls, so you can see where those things hung. 

Paint will clearly be needed, and carpet will likely be needed, too. One way to mitigate the shock of wear and tear is by doing interior surveys on a regular basis. This is a window into how the resident is treating the property and an indication of what we’ll have to do when the resident does move out. We want to be prepared for wear and tear repairs and updates. Our owners can create a savings account for turnover expenses and the longer a resident stays, the more money gets saved for those eventual expenses. 

Preparing Owners for Wear and Tear and Damage 

On average, residents with Sacramento Delta stay in place between three and five years. 

We like to remind owners that a lot of wear and tear comes from the Sacramento climate. People love our warm, sunny days - this is one of the things that makes Sacramento a great place to live. But, it creates a bit of extra wear and tear. That sunlight fades paint and carpet. Your window coverings could fade and fray, too. The lines holding blinds together can begin to break down, and those blinds won’t stay the same color they once were. It’s normal. 

There is only so much preparation that can be done when we’re talking about damage. Maybe a resident hung a large television on the wall and used extra-large bolts, which left holes. We expect residents to pay for that because it’s not normal wear and tear. 

There might be tears in the carpet. If residents did not report that carpet was coming apart in transition areas and it’s frayed and beyond repair, that’s something we’ll charge the security deposit for. If the baseboards are chewed up, we’ll consider that damage as well. 

Professional Sacramento Property Management