Accessible rentals are more sought after now than ever before. Despite the fact that it may quite seem like a burden to update your property to accommodate people with limited mobility, the truth is, you can widen your potential tenant pool and give your rental home a competitive edge. By making your property more accessible, you attract the elderly and tenants who use wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and more.
Sugar Land property managers are familiar with the federal law that states that you can’t discriminate against people based on their accessibility requirements. You could wait around until your tenant approaches you with an accommodation request. Or, the better (and more profitable) option may be to keep accessibility in mind as you update your property. When making choices, also consider the disabled and elderly renters. Here are some straightforward ideas to boost up and make your property more accessible to those with mobility challenges.
1. Floors
Carpeting can be real trouble for people who use wheelchairs, canes, or walkers, but so can slippery hard flooring. Precisely why, when it comes time to replace the flooring in your rental home, it would be better to choose a sturdy, low-pile carpet. A low-pile carpet presents excellent traction and won’t snag on the ends of canes and walkers. The right flooring can make your rental quickly become more appealing to a wider range of tenants.
2. Entryway
One of the huge obstacles that people with mobility challenges face is a doorway that is too narrow. As you gear up with your next set of property improvements, consider replacing your entry door (and possibly the interior doors) with wider, more wheelchair-friendly versions. Additionally, lever doorknobs are really good for people with limited mobility than round knobs. It’s quite a simple project, nevertheless, it is one that will make a big difference to a disabled tenant.
3. Bathroom
The bathroom holds a lot of real challenges for disabled tenants. The regular fixtures present there were not made with them in mind. But as a matter of fact, you can really easily make your bathrooms more accessible by upgrading your shower or tub and your toilet. Take, for example, the standard tub. It’s usually too high for people with limited mobility to step over. If you are gearing up to renovate, think of choosing a walk-in tub or a shower with a lower threshold. Furthermore, toilets tend to be too low to the ground for many disabled people. When it’s time to replace your toilet, use one that is a little taller. Both of these updates can help make your rental so much more accessible to all.
4. Kitchen
The kitchen is another space where challenges abound for people with limited mobility. There are many things that make it difficult for them. As an illustration, most standard appliances and countertops are too tall for people in wheelchairs to reach with comfort. If you’re remodeling your rental kitchen anyway, look into providing ADA-height appliances and counter space. With a bit of resourcefulness and planning, you can enable and make your rental property’s kitchen one of the most accessible parts of the house.
5. Bedroom
Another part of the home design that is quite easy to change is closet rods and light switches. Both are generally too high for people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility to reach with ease. By installing closet rods closer to the floor and lowering the light switches, you can essentially improve the quality of life for your tenants.
Do you want more tips on how to make your rental appeal to quality tenants? Real Property Management West can certainly help! Contact us online today to learn more about all the great services we offer property owners and landlords.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
