It’s believed that 52.5% of people in the city of Baltimore alone live in rented homes – and behind each one is a landlord aiming to create a beautiful place that will appeal to tenants. When it comes to designing the kitchen and keeping everything safe, secure and appealing to potential tenants looking around, meanwhile, there are some specific principles to keep in mind.
Safety first
Safety is a key issue in any rented home. The state of Maryland has a number of laws in place designed to protect tenants, such as structural safety and the maintenance of anti-fire facilities – and you’ll need to be sure you adhere to them. Providing a fire extinguisher near cooking equipment is a good move, as well as a fire blanket. And remember: if the home’s boiler is located in the kitchen, it needs to be in an accessible place so that it can be regularly accessed and serviced to check that there are no gas leaks or other problems on the horizon.
Keep it pretty
When a potential tenant comes to view your residential rental property, it’s likely that the rooms which require the most hygiene – the kitchen and the bathroom – will be most closely scrutinized. After all, considerable amounts of time are spent in both rooms. So by regularly refreshing your kitchen’s decor and by installing a couple of high-end features (such as a mixer sink or an induction hob), your property will stand out from the rest. This may be an upfront cost, but it’s one that’s likely to pay off as it can reduce the amount of time for which your property remains vacant.
Durable and long-lasting
Kitchens are expensive, and there are few things worse for a homeowner than having to repair and reinstall them. For that reason, it’s often worth dealing with a high cost upfront and buying a kitchen that is built to last. Given that some tenants are sadly inclined to not look after their rented properties given that their stake in them is usually low, a kitchen made from durable materials is also a good idea.
Designing your rental home well is an important thing for landlords to do, and there’s nothing worse than making a significant design error – especially in an important, well-used but potentially dangerous area like the kitchen. So by prioritizing safety, aesthetics, and durability, you’ll be able to ensure that you don’t cause problems either for you or for your tenant.
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