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A good landlord can be fairly described as one who runs a profitable business and at the same time provides tenants with accommodation that is comfortable, attractive to live in and look at and makes them feel it is their own home. After all a happy tenant is one who will stick around which means that a landlord is less likely to experience void periods and so is getting the maximum rental potential out of his property.
A good landlord can also optimise his profits by undertaking jobs himself rather than paying out for tradesman. One such job most people can turn their hands to is painting the outside of the house.
Painting the outside of the property has obvious benefits, it is protecting the property from weather damage, therefore keeping the residual value of the property at its optimum and is pleasing on the eye to an incumbent tenant or makes a prospective tenant more likely to select the property as their future home. Certainly most people prefer their home to have “kerb appeal”.
Preparation and the correct tools for the job are a must, as is tackling the job using the appropriate health and safety issues. So first of all arrange your health and safety equipment, this should include safety goggles to protect the eyes from paint and cleansing fluids, gloves to protect the hands, surgical gloves are a good option, safety footwear and overalls to protect your clothes.
The tools for the job should include; ladders, stepladders, power washer, cover sheets, paint brushes, paint roller with extension pole, white spirit, bleach based cleanser, scraper, filler and of course your paint of choice. Be sure to choose an exterior paint, they are pricier but must be used if the job is to be carried out correctly.
First of all lay your cover sheets around the walls of the property and remove any external debris such as bird droppings, old globules of paint etc… from the walls with the scraper. Next using the roller to apply a coat of bleach based cleanser to the walls and leave it on to do its work. Time for the power washer now, give the walls a good wash down and be prepared for flakes of old paint to go everywhere, and remember there could be some of the cleanser on them so wear your gloves when tidying the mess.
It’s now time to go round the exterior searching out cracks in the wall and old paintwork. Make sure to fill all of them well and take off the excess. It is a good idea to apply a coating of paint using a brush around the windows, doors and the cracks you have filled in.
You are now ready to start the main job. Start from the eaves of the house and work down always taking your time as well as taking care. Don’t try and rush the job especially when using the ladder, it is much safer to come down and move the ladder rather than find yourself overstretching.
Tags: Landlord Insurance