As a premier residential roofing specialist in Denver, Kansas City, and Wichita, the Farha Roofing team often works with property owners and landlords on roof replacements and repairs for their rental properties. After years of working with clients on their own homes and with landlords on their rentals, we have noticed a few key differences in the considerations landlords must make.
Today, the Farha Roofing team is going to discuss the five main considerations a landlord must make in order to choose the right roof for their rental property, including the importance of making tenant-proof decisions. Learn more below!
Choosing the Right Roof for Your Rental Property
Think About Your Long-term Plan and Goals
As a residential roofing specialist, one of the biggest pieces of advice the Farha team has for rental property owners is to think about your longterm plan and goals for the property before making any major decisions. If you plan to sell the property in the next two to five years, the decision you will make about your roof repair or replacement might be different than someone planning to hold onto the property for the next 10 to 20 years.
Understanding your long-term plan prior to speaking with a residential roofing specialist will enable them to give you the best recommendation for your unique situation.
Choose Your Contractor Wisely
Before signing on the dotted line, make sure you are carefully evaluating your residential roofing specialist options carefully. The Farha Roofing team has worked with far too many landlords who chose fly-by-night roofers or the cheapest bid for the job since the repair was, “Just for a rental property.”
While it might be tempting to save money by going with the cheapest labor possible for the job, this often means poor workmanship and more money spent by the landlord in the long run. Your rental properties are part of your income. Protect your income and your investments by choosing a licensed and insured residential roofing specialist to work on all of your properties, including your rental properties.
Evaluate Low Maintenance Roofing Options
Unfortunately for landlords everywhere, renters don’t always treat the property the way they would their own home. They make themselves comfortable of course, but regular property maintenance and routine cleanings often fall to the wayside.
Because of this, the Farha Roofing team has found that low maintenance roofing options tend to be the best choice for rental properties. Low maintenance materials such as slate and shake or copper roofing are both great options to consider.
Of course going with a low maintenance option doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have your residential roofing specialist inspect your roof twice a year — that is still a requirement!
Consider the Neighborhood
Whether you plan on selling the rental property in one year or twenty years, eventually you will likely want to sell it. The last thing you want to do is accidentally make your home unappealing to or too expensive for prospective buyers.
Recommendation: When Should You Replace the Roof on a Rental Property?
To prevent that from happening, it is important to consider the neighborhood the property is in. You’ll want to choose a roof that matches the aesthetic of the neighborhood and also matches the price point of the neighborhood.
If you haven’t driven through your rental property’s neighborhood in a while, take a drive around. Take notes on the roofs in the neighborhood that you like, get a feel for the general condition of the homes, and look up estimates for the current market value of nearby properties.
Determine Whether Other Repairs Are Needed
If you are completing a roof replacement in between tenants, now is the ideal time to determine whether other repairs on the house are also needed before the new tenants move in. The last thing you want is for your tenants to move in and have a complaint a few days in to their new lease!
Ask your residential roofing specialist if they have a recommendation for a local handyman who can help with odd jobs around the house to get the property back in tip-top shape.
If you are a landlord in the Denver, Kansas City, or Wichita Metro Areas, the Farha Roofing team is here to help! We make the entire roof repair and replacement process as stress free as possible, so you can worry about the other parts of owning rental properties. Give our team a call today to schedule a free inspection for your rental home’s roof!