As a Temple rental property owner, the safety of your tenants is a top priority. However, you likewise need a property with wonderful curb appeal. The most profitable investment properties combine the two by creating attractive, accessible entry areas. By double-checking whether or not your tenants can come and go with ease, you can greatly reduce slips and falls on the property.
However, an accessible entryway isn’t just about safety. By making an accessible entry into your rental property, you can develop your potential renter demographic and attract seniors or renters with accessibility needs. In what follows, we’ll take closer to examine ways that you can make your property’s entryway both safer and more aesthetically pleasing.
Entry points to a house control access to the property. This is what makes them such an important aspect of preparing your home for tenants. A lot of single-family rental homes are not necessarily built with easy accessibility in mind. This is particularly true of older homes, which often come with safety hazards like rail-less steps or slippery walkway materials. Newer homes may have the same issues, but improved building codes and a better understanding of universal design has significantly improved accessibility in many ways.
No matter when your rental property was built, it’s important to begin by evaluating it from an accessibility standpoint. To get a precise idea of how accessible your rental home is, begin with a slow walk through entry areas, looking for potential issues. Walk from the edge of the property line up the driveway and front walkway. Think of how smooth the walkway surfaces are and whether there are damaged areas that might trip someone or cause a wheelchair to get stuck. If it’s likely, have a friend walk beside you.
You may be surprised at how narrow your front walkway is. Both damaged surfaces and narrow access points can make it problematic for some tenants to use them safely. The same is true for right-angle turns. Consider replacing sharp corners with curves instead. A gently curving pathway up to the front door will not only be more accessible, but it will add an attractive feature to the front of the house as well.
Another real trouble area for entryway accessibility is the front steps. Although common, steps can make it very difficult for some tenants to come and go safely. This is particularly true if your rental property is in an area where ice and snow can be a problem. The best home designs have no steps into the house. But even if your property already has them, there are things you can do to make your entryway more accessible.
If your rental home doesn’t already have one, start by installing a sturdy handrail and good exterior lighting. Railings should extend at least one foot beyond the bottom of the stairs, and lights should be placed carefully for clear illumination of each step. Also, consider adding non-slip strips or material to the steps.
If your accessibility planning requires you to invest some money into upgrading your front steps, think about using that same money to replace them entirely. Varying on how high the front doorstep is, it might be more cost-effective to construct a ramp up to the front door. Some of the best entryway ramps don’t even look like ramps. Rather, they have been designed so well that they look no different from a slightly raised cement walkway with a gentle upward slope. In this way, you can upgrade the curb appeal of your property while still adding a low-profile ramp that will greatly develop the safety of the entry areas.
Are you looking for more ways to make your rental safer – and expand your renter demographic at the same time? Contact Real Property Management Talent by reaching out online or give us a call at 254-401-0400.
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