The Best Carpet Options for Rental Properties

There are many ways a person can make a living. However, investing and furnishing rental properties has been gaining traction as a reliable way to take advantage of the current market. For those who can afford one and begin their financial journey, it is best to consider how you can maintain the property at as low a cost as possible. One way you can reduce the cost of maintenance is choosing among the best carpet options for rental properties. These are a few things to keep in mind.

What To Expect

You would, of course, prefer it if your guests treated the place they are staying with as much care as their own home. The odds are, however, that they will not live up to that expectation. For that reason, it is good to begin your carpet selection with the assumption that those using the item will not care for it as much as you would prefer. You can deter your customers from bad behavior by including cleaning fees in their contract. At the very least, adding expectations could help you rest easier. To keep your interest base wide, selecting a carpet that can stand the test of time, regardless of how it is treated, is a good idea. The less everyone has to think about the area’s quality, the better, and a good quality carpet helps with that.

Things To Consider

Carpets come in an array of colors, designs, and materials. The one you select reflects the personality of the property you are attempting to rent out. High-end homes in upper-income areas typically expect quality, and going cheap on the carpets is sometimes a detriment. Luckily, you can decrease the quality a bit in several properties in more middle-income areas. It’s important to consider a few aspects of the carpets you select before going into the specifics for each kind. You want your guests to feel at home, but you also want to be able to handle any clean-up that is necessary after they have left. Ideally, not having to replace the carpet after each tenant is the best-case scenario.

Durability

The durability of a carpet is not always entwined with its quality. Sometimes, you do not need to maintain and clean lower-end carpets as much due to their durability and resistance to natural wear. Higher-quality materials, on the other hand, may be more susceptible to stains. When looking for a carpet for your rental property, it is important to remember how well it can stand against years of being walked on in shoes.

Stain Resistance

Alongside durability, another important feature of a carpet is how well it hides stains left over from sudden spills or accidents. Unless a substance is visible, leaves a sticky residue on the carpet, or in any other way makes your daily life uncomfortable, you likely do not have to deal with it if it is not visible. Stain resistance is a highly important trait to keep in mind.

Comfort and Color

While the comfortability of the carpet is a good thing to prioritize, it is secondary to color. A lightly colored carpet is prone to more flaws than a darker one. Taking the time to consider the typical clients you are dealing with plays a big part in the color you select for your rental property.

Nylon

Nylon is one of the most popular carpet materials because its made from thermoplastics, which are naturally sturdy. While it is a polymer compound, the nylon’s thin strands help it mimic silk’s texture without its vulnerabilities. Nylon can resist plenty of traffic in its expected lifetime before eventually requiring replacement. While nylon is also able to go up against dirt and mildew fairly well, you should treat its stains like you would on any other carpet. Luckily, nylon comes in an array of colors and can blend in with several design styles.

Polyester

Polyester carpets are not as popular as nylon but come with their own benefits in terms of overall maintenance. While it requires care to if it gets a lot of foot traffic, polyester is the best material for resisting stains. This carpet is perfectly acceptable for those with a slightly higher expectation of the tenants living on the property. Normally made of recycled materials, polyester is also a great eco-friendly option for those aiming to keep their designs as green as possible. This is a great bonus to certain niche clients where details like that play a bigger part in their final decision. However, there is a slight markup for that eco-friendliness because polyester is slightly more expensive per square foot in relation to nylon.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is the runner-up to nylon as the most durable material. Carpets made of this material can keep their shape throughout the years. While it is a generally resistant material and is treated with a stain-resistant coating, polypropylene has difficulty dealing with oil-based liquids. Making this a big point to your clients saves both you and your tenants the trouble and cost of dealing with the mess should it occur. For those looking for the design flexibility of this material, it errs on the more subtle tones of colors but can still be made with a fair number of shades and colors. Alternatively, while nylon is the most popular option with a middle ground price, polypropylene is one of the cheapest materials with many benefits as well.

The next time you are looking to outfit your rental property with oddly shaped rugs or carpets, consider some of the benefits different materials offer. Hopefully, by considering some of the best carpet options for rental properties, you can make the right choice that appeals to most of your tenants. While a carpet sometimes seems like a small part of the bigger picture, it is important to understand the value that the right one has for you in the long run. While you are not necessarily creating a dream home for yourself, the more natural your space feels for others means the more likely it never remains vacant for long.