If you own Memorial rental properties, you might have had to decide for or against installing ceiling fans in some or all of the rooms. This question can be difficult to answer because many landlords know that some tenants can be hard on a rental home, increasing the risk of the ceiling fans being damaged. But even with that possibility, there are still a lot of good reasons for installing ceiling fans in your rental properties. You can easily settle the ceiling fan question if you know the pros and cons of doing so.
There are many advantages to installing ceiling fans in your rental properties. The most important one being that renters want them! Some renters will not consider a rental home that doesn’t have ceiling fans in the bedrooms, if not the main living areas. Good air circulation is an important consideration for many people. No one likes a stuffy home. If your rental has multiple bedrooms and residents, installing ceiling fans in each room lets each resident use them according to their own comfort.
In addition to keeping residents comfortable, ceiling fans are usually more energy-efficient than central air. In areas with mild summers, ceiling fans are sufficient for keeping your residents comfortable all year. But even in hot climates, a ceiling fan is useful in helping air conditioning units function more efficiently, reducing the need to have the air conditioning running year-round. In winter, ceiling fans help push warm air down, and in summer, they help pull hot air up and out. This lowers the strain on your HVAC unit, extends this system’s life, and cuts utility costs as well.
With all these advantages, there are also downsides to installing ceiling fans in your rental properties. Perhaps the most common problem is that ceiling fans can become noisy over time. Correctly installed, a ceiling fan should make very little noise. The noise starts when blades become unbalanced and this is what renters might not like.
The lighting quality and overall look of ceiling fans are also possible drawbacks. Cheap ceiling fans can make a rental home’s interiors look cheap or outdated. It is important to choose quality ceiling fans that are not too big nor too small for space as this can turn potential renters away. Also, ceiling fans are usually a poor source of good light. Some ceiling fans have frosted lighting covers or exposed bulbs that can make a room either too dark or too bright. Some fans that are higher on the quality scale offer multi-function lighting, where you can choose which bulbs to light at a time, but these usually cost more.
It is important to remember that there is always the potential for damage. Objects that hit the ceiling fan may damage the glass shades of the blades themselves and cause the fan to stop working. However, most landlords find that these rarely happen. Usually, a good-quality ceiling fan pays for itself by making the rental property easier to keep occupied.
Ultimately, the decision to install ceiling fans in your rental properties is one that only you can make. With all this information before you, you can easily make that choice. However, not all decisions related to your rental properties will be this easy, and you might want expert advice on some matters in the future. If that is the case, consider giving Real Property Management West a call. Our Memorial property managers can help you not only manage your properties more efficiently but also ensure that you are maximizing the potential of each one of your investments. Call us today at 832-532-9800 to find out how!
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