The Benefits of Hiring a Cleaning Service for Your Rental Property
As a landlord, when you rent out a home, are you selling a service or a product?
Most times, it is both. When tenants pay rent to you, they are leasing a product from you, which is the home and everything inside it. But it is also a service because as the landlord or manager, you should keep the property in a livable condition.
But which is more important; is it the product (the physical building) or is it the services which the landlord provides? Answer: though the home can exist by itself, without the service, there would not be a rental business. So the service is more important.
The success of a rental depends on how well landlords handle the obligatory services that come with renting out a property. Service delivery determines the quality of a rental as well as the type of tenants it attracts. The landlord must give careful thought to how they approach service delivery.
For instance, how do you handle the cleaning of your property? Do you hire amateurs to do it or do you do it yourself? How does your approach to cleaning affect your relationship with tenants, the cleanliness of the home and the rental business’s performance?
Answering these questions is essential because:
- A rental property’s level of cleanliness offers a window into the owner’s competence.
- Rental property cleanliness shows the owner’s concern for those who live in the home.
- A clean rental is attractive; tenants feel a sense of welcome when a home is clean.
For these reasons, it is critical to define a strategy for cleaning your rental. It would be best if you elevated its standard of cleanliness to a point where it exceeds tenant’s expectations. And the best way you can do this is by hiring a professional cleaning service to take care of all the cleaning needs of the property.
Why a professional cleaning service?
Cleaning a home is underrated because it looks so deceptively simple. Everybody does the cleaning, and everyone thinks they know how to clean. But when cleanliness becomes what makes or breaks the success of a rental property, ordinary cleaning will not be enough.
When you and I clean a room, we do it to make it LOOK clean; devoid of visible dirt and foul odors. But when a professional cleaner cleans a space, they MAKE it clean; it is not apparent but actually clean. This is the professional cleaner’s advantage and why landlords need them.
The advantages of professional cleaning services
- They slow wear and tear
A professional cleaning saves a home from wear and tear in two fundamental ways. The cleaner knows how to remove the dirt, corrosive substances, and bacteria that adhere to any surface. Secondly, they know how to vary their cleaning technique to match the nature of the surface they are cleaning. As a result, the cleaner does not contribute to the deterioration of the surface.
- They save landlords money
Due to a professional cleaner’s understanding of where contaminants and corrosives hide in the home, and how to safely get rid of them, they save you money. Curtains, walls, and furniture don’t wear out as fast because the cleaner carefully removes the debris that clings to them. Therefore you do not have to repair or replace things as often.
- They offer a viable marketing & tenant retention tool
In the rental property business, impression matters, and a professional cleaning service gives you the chance to make the best impression the first time. A well-cleaned home is highly inviting; its cleanliness alone may be the reason why someone rents the house. Furthermore, premises that are kept clean encourage tenants to remain in the property; they are not likely to want to leave.
- Enhanced business image
Using a professional cleaning service presents you as a competent professional. Tenants see the systems you have in place for managing the home and are motivated to do business with you. Additionally, a cleaning service buys you time to dedicate to the improvement of your business’ processes and performance.
- Shorter vacancy periods
A professional cleaning service is an ally when marketing a rental home. Firstly, by being able to deploy immediately, they reduce the time between tenant move-out and when the house is ready for showing. Secondly, they allow you to start marketing the rental immediately, rather than waiting until after you have had time to clean it by yourself.
Finally, a landlord or property manager’s choice to hire or not hire a professional cleaner is a reflection of how they define their role. Owners who view themselves as entrepreneurs know they need systems and employees. They do not try to do everything themselves but recognize their need to hire a professional cleaning service.
