Maintenance and Expenses Between Tenants

After the last tenent moved out, I had the opportunity to explore that empty unit for the first time. It had been occupied since I bought the place last February. The carpet in the living room was a disaster, but I was relieved to find everything else in pretty good condition. It doesn't look like I even have to paint the place.

The bathtub and walls around it were in serious need of repair though. At first look I thought a re-caulking would do the job, but upon further inspection (and with the advice of my wonderful new Handyman), I decided that it would be best to just go ahead and re-tile the walls. They needed it badly, and doing so now would prevent further water from being able to accumulate behind the brittle tiles and cause mold or decay.

I gave my Handyman the go-ahead to rip out the walls, put in new "cement-board" in lieu of traditional sheetrock to prevent water from ever seeping back, re-tile the walls, re-paint the bathtub, and put in new fixtures. The whole remodel is costing me $858.

Super-Handyman also referred me to a great carpet cleaner. He doesn't usually do jobs that small because it's not cost effective, but he agreed to come out and clean the 2 bedrooms for $100. I told him to ignore the living room because I was having the carpet there replaced, but he examined it and said he could probably get those stains out. I looked at him and the almost black carpet (originally a beige/blue blend) dubiously, but he said it would be the same price no matter what, so I told him to have at it.

I paid him $100 plus tax and left, returning later to find beautiful stain free, new looking carpet in all 3 rooms! Awesome.

So far I've had to spend $858 on the bathroom and $108 on the carpets. In addition to what will probably end up being one full month of lost rent due to the vacancy. Not bad considering that I lost 2 months rent and spent $8,000 on the neighboring unit between tenants last year (I had to install central air and repaint the whole place).