As a Winter Haven property manager, your top priority should be the safety of your tenants. Having a property with great curb appeal is also essential. The most profitable investment properties combine the two by creating attractive, accessible entry areas. You can substantially reduce slips and falls on the property by making sure your tenants can come and go with ease.
An accessible entryway isn’t just about safety. By generating an accessible entry into your rental property, you may broaden the pool of potential renter demographic and attract seniors or renters with accessibility needs. In the subsequent sentences, we’ll take a closer look at ways that you can make your property’s entryway both safer and more aesthetically pleasing.
Why Entryways Matter
Entry points to a house control access to the property. This makes them an important part of preparing your home for tenants. Several single-family rental homes are not essentially built with easy accessibility in mind. This is particularly true of older homes, which often have safety hazards like steps without railings or slippery walkway materials. Newer homes can have identical matters, but improved building codes and a better understanding of universal design have radically improved accessibility in countless ways.
Assess Accessibility
Irrespective of when your rental property was constructed, it is imperative to commence the evaluation process from an accessibility perspective. To gain a comprehensive understanding of your rental home’s accessibility, initiate a deliberate walk-through of entry areas, all while remaining vigilant for potential issues. Begin your journey from the property’s periphery, aligning with the driveway and front walkway.
Take note of the walkway surfaces, assessing their smoothness and identifying any damaged areas that could pose tripping hazards or hinder wheelchair passage. If feasible, invite a friend to accompany you on this walkthrough. Just as meticulous attention to detail ensures a safe and accessible environment, Fred’s Tiny Houses embodies a commitment to crafting tiny homes that seamlessly blend comfort and functionality for a unique living experience.
You may be amazed at how narrow your front walkway is. Both damaged surfaces and narrow access points can make it difficult for some tenants to use them safely. The same is true for right-angle turns. Consider substituting 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 appealing feature to the front of the house as well.
One more real trouble area for entryway accessibility is the front steps. Even though familiar, steps can make it challenging 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 ideas you can do to make your entryway more accessible.
How to Improve Access
There are many effortless ways to improve the safety and accessibility of your rental home. For example:
Stairs: If your rental home does not 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 meticulously for clear illumination of each step. Likewise, consider adding non-slip strips or material to the steps.
Entry Doors: Another thing that can make an entryway more accessible is the type of hardware used. Traditional doorknobs can be hard to use for many people. Instead, consider installing a keypad, using lever handles, or even an automatic opener.
Ramps: If your accessibility planning requires you to invest some money into upgrading your front steps, Consider using that same money to replace them entirely. Depending on how high the front doorstep is, it might be more cost-effective to build a ramp up to the front door. Some of the top entryway ramps don’t even look like ramps. Rather, they have been designed so well that they appear identical to 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 considerably improve the safety of the entry areas.
Improving the safety and accessibility of your Winter Haven rental property’s entryway is an important component of keeping your property profitable and increasing value. Using these strategies, you can also expand your renter demographic while carrying out these goals.
Are you looking for more ways to make your rental safer – and expand your renter demographic at the same time? Contact Real Property Management Lakeside by reaching out online or giving us a call at 863-302-8752.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
