Rental properties with old and ugly flooring are a reality many tenants are familiar with. And as much as renting might often be enjoyable, bad flooring is one issue that is difficult to ignore or hide. Whether the flooring is dirty or damaged carpeting, cracked tile, scraped hardwood, or chopped linoleum, if it looks bad, you’ll probably have a negative attitude about the apartment.
As a renter, you have the choice to change your room’s flooring and consider different room flooring options. Continue reading as we explore why tenants alter their flooring and other essential elements for making a rental house seem more like home.
Why Tenants May Want to Change Flooring?
Allergies
Carpets can trap dust mites, pet dander, and other allergens deep within the fibers of carpets, often making it impossible for cleaning to completely remove allergens. This can trigger or activate asthma or respiratory and skin allergies in tenants. Tenants who have allergies may specifically ask for carpets to be removed and to be replaced with hard flooring options such as vinyl plank, wood, or tile, because those surfaces don’t trap allergens and are much easier to keep free of allergens by regular cleaning.
Some tenants with severe allergies to dog dander and/or dust mites resort to replacing carpet in a rental, either partially or completely. This way, it’s easy to eliminate the buildup of allergens that cleaning can never fully address.
Hardwood, laminate, tile, be it ceramic and porcelain, vinyl, and cork are typically better for allergy sufferers, as they do not allow for significant allergen buildup and can be wet-cleaned fairly easily. Vinyl flooring makes sense for someone with dust mite allergies, as it’s smooth and can be wiped easily. Carpet and natural wool rugs would generally be unsuitable for allergy sufferers, since they accumulate allergens and are difficult to clean.
Damage
Tenants often roam over a unit’s floors, so dents and scratches are inevitable unless you have carpeting. Maybe something large was dropped, or a sharp-edged piece of furniture scraped the floor, causing minor damage. Even though they are annoying, these problems don’t always mean that you should replace your flooring, especially if there are only a few here and there. However, if cracks start to show up in your flooring, you might want to take care of the issue as soon as possible. Northern Virginia rental managers require tenants to communicate with landlords first before installing new flooring.
Particularly if you have ceramic tile, which is a common choice for rental houses, a single floor fracture may frequently result in several, larger cracks if it is not repaired right away. It is also challenging to repair cracks without replacing the flooring entirely, and a tenant may get injured if they become a trip hazard or catch on clothing. Insects are also more drawn to cracks and crevices, and your apartments’ defective flooring may attract them, creating a more serious problem for your residents.
Personal Comfort
Tenants may decide to change their flooring primarily because of issues surrounding their personal comfort, which include aesthetics, safety, and even lifestyle. Having comfortable and aesthetically pleasing flooring can significantly improve their overall experience and sense of home. For example, many tenants prefer warmer flooring options (e.g., carpets, cork) in living areas for comfort. They also consider flooring or surfaces for specific needs, such as an easier type of flooring to clean if there are kids or pets, or an option that provides sound insulation or doesn’t feel hazardous to walk on, etc.
Another key aspect of personal comfort that impacts flooring changes is aesthetic preference. Tenants are usually looking for flooring that meets their personal style and relates to their décor to make them feel even more at home. Another tenant concern is safety and health, whether the flooring is free of slip hazards or minimizes allergens. Lastly, ease of maintenance and/or durability issues factor into tenant decisions, especially for an active lifestyle with more kids and/or pets.
Initiating Communication with your Landlord
If you want to change the flooring in a rental property, you usually need permission from the landlord. The tenancy agreement usually contains information on this, including whether or not property modifications are permitted. It’s preferable to speak with your landlord directly and get formal consent before making any alterations if the agreement is silent on this.
Review Lease Terms
Examine your tenancy agreement thoroughly to learn about your rights and restrictions before making any aesthetic alterations to your rental property. The lease will specify which alterations need your landlord’s consent and any particular limitations on property improvements.
Your agreement outlines the majority of the tenant’s decorating rights. Any major changes, including painting walls or attaching fixtures, will require express consent. When you move out, breaking these restrictions could result in legal issues or jeopardize your security deposit.
Before beginning any changes, make sure you have a complete record of the property’s state for your own protection. Take detailed photos of every location you intend to modify, and document any landlord approvals in writing. Navigating the limits of acceptable décor modifications within your rental will also be made easier if you are aware of the local housing restrictions.
Practical Considerations Before Making a Change
Cost vs. Tenants’ Lease Term
A relevant practical consideration when assessing the cost of changing flooring in a room is the duration of a tenant’s lease. Generally, floor replacement is a significant cost borne by tenants if they decide to make the change, unless the landlord is willing to absorb some or all of the cost. For shorter leases, the cost to replace or upgrade flooring may not make sense because the tenant is unlikely to recoup the cost within their limited tenancy, while tenants with longer lease terms might have additional leverage to convince the landlord to agree to share the cost, or seek a tenant improvement allowance, thereby making taking flooring upgrades more financially viable.
Landlords usually compel tenants to ask for permission to change flooring and often require tenants to put back the original flooring before vacating, impacting the cost. Replacement timelines for carpeting wear and tear (5-10 years) are also a cost factor to consider. In commercial leases, lease duration and type of flat lease versus triple net lease may also more precisely articulate responsibility, with longer lease terms providing the tenant with more leverage when negotiating improvements.
Installation Effort
Installation effort is the other major practical aspect to consider when changing the flooring in a room, as the wide price differences among types can vary in their difficulty, as well as what tools you will need and how long the installation will take. Laminate flooring is one of the easiest to install, especially if you are a novice, because it has a floating system where the boards simply lock into place without glue or nails, and it uses few specialized tools. Similarly, vinyl flooring is also very do-it-yourself friendly as it uses only a utility knife to cut the boards, which snap together, but do try to make sure you have a perfectly flat subflooring to avoid cracking.
Hardwood flooring and ceramic tile are considerably more difficult to install, and often require a professional installation using specialized tools, surface preparation, and techniques, usually relying on a combination of methods, to install them properly. Cost and effort increase with these materials because they take longer to install and require more expertise.
Maintenance and Cleaning Needs
The maintenance and cleaning requirements for different types of flooring are important practical considerations before performing a change in room flooring. Different types of floors also have different cleaning procedures, products, and levels of effort in order to maintain their initial beauty and longevity.
Hardwood floors need to be cleaned gently, utilizing a soft sweeping motion or a damp mop. Specialized wood floor cleaners must be used to prevent water from soaking into the floor, as this will lead to water damage and warping. A regular, polished finish will help maintain their beauty.
Laminate floors require a damp mop utilizing minimal moisture. Laminate cleaners are required, since excess moisture can lead to peeling and swelling. Clean tile floors are very easily maintained by sweeping and mopping; however, care must be taken with tapered grout lines. Using products specifically designed to clean grout or a baking soda and water paste is are best choice to avoid staining the lines.
Final Thoughts
Changing the floors in your rental doesn’t have to be a long-term investment. There are many solutions, be it the cost-effective durability of vinyl, the classic appeal of hardwood, or the adaptability of hybrid laminate. These options will preserve your security deposit while giving your room the style you choose.
Regardless of your preference for interlocking foam mats or peel-and-stick tiles, what matters is acquiring your landlord’s approval in writing, and be sure to take before and after pictures of your room.
