For just a few dollars and a little elbow grease, new paint can transform a space and even increase the appeal of your rental property. A gallon of good quality paint usually costs under $50, and if you put in a few hours of hard work, you could have a whole new look and feel within your rental property. A fresh coat of paint will revive dated walls and hide unsightly nicks and dents in the walls. It will also highlight architectural features such as high ceilings and brighten dim walls.

First Impressions are Lasting Impressions
The first impression of your rental property matters. If the exterior of your property is not well painted, many potential tenants will not give your house a second thought. Interior walls with chipped paint, dirt, smudges, and scuffs are a complete turnoff. Tenants want to feel that their landlord cares about their and the property’s well-being. If the interior or exterior is not well-maintained or clean, quality tenants could take a pass on your rental.

Painting Can Give Your Property a Competitive Edge
If you have a difficult time attracting new tenants or your property is in a hard-to-rent area, exterior painting will help it to stand out above the other properties in the neighborhood. A freshly painted exterior will enhance curb appeal and make your property more desirable to tenants. Although some paint projects will costs more than simply freshening up an interior room, the look of bright new exterior walls and the smell of fresh paint inside can provide a psychological boost to a prospective tenant’s view of a property. A person looking for a rental will generally be more mentally comfortable in a newly painted house.

Retaining Tenants
To keep a good tenant, you can offer new paint, or incentives if they want to tackle simple interior painting jobs themselves. You and the tenant could combine efforts by working together to choose the right colors and brand of paint. Home exterior painting is best left to the professionals. It important that the paint surface be properly cleaned primed before painting, and high-quality paint applied according to manufacture recommendations for the best and longest-lasting results.

The Best Types of Paint to Use
A satin or semi-gloss paint makes it easier to remove grease, scuff marks, and crayon marks from interior walls. It is better than flat paint regarding stain removal. For the home exterior, it depends on the home exterior siding material, however, a good quality 100% acrylic latex paint is a good choice for wood, wood composite, or fiber cement siding.

How Often Should a Rental Property’s Walls Be Painted?
It is not uncommon to paint the interior walls every 3-4 years. A professional quality home exterior paint can last 10+ years depending on the home siding and climate. Most landlords usually paint between tenant occupancies.

Looking for a property management company in Birmingham? Specialized Residential Property Management in Birmingham is one of the most highly regarded residential property management teams out there, because our clients know they can completely trust us while we save them both time and money. 

“They are always available and always willing to help…the follow-up is second to none. As a whole, this team has surpassed every expectation I had when I first started searching for management.”

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