How to get more rent: high-impact, low-cost upgrades to maximise your buy-to-let profits

You don't need to spend a fortune to revitalise your rental property’s performance and transform its place in the market.

A simple but often overlooked strategy is to target more affluent tenants, and by upgrading the experience of style and comfort, you can raise the income ceiling for your buy-to-let.

Fortunately, with some constructive thinking, smart purchases, and the help of our handy guide, getting a great result needn't cost the earth, and we’ve broken things down into five areas:

• Easy fixes for instant appeal.
• Smart storage solutions.
• Affordable style updates.
• Energy and security upgrades.
• Outdoor improvements and kerb appeal.

Does your rental home have unrealised potential that you haven’t considered? Let's dive into whether you could achieve more income than you think, and for a lower cost than you thought.

EASY FIXES FOR INSTANT APPEAL

First impressions count, and the smallest tweaks can often make the biggest impact. These quick, affordable fixes can move your property into a higher rental bracket, without major renovations.

• Replace any harsh white bulbs with soft-glow LEDs for an immediately more welcoming atmosphere, and renew any cracked, broken or cheap-looking sockets and switches.
• Swap ugly or dated door handles with stylish replacements, from porcelain knobs in period homes to brushed steel handles in modern ones. And fix that wobbly front door lock!
• Clean up scuffed walls and skirting, and treat tired-looking rooms to a fresh coat of washable paint in a warm white or neutral. Everything will feel bigger and brighter.

As a bonus free step, say yes to tenants with pets. They're often devoted homemakers, will pay a premium rent, and you can insist they take out pet insurance for complete peace of mind.

SMART STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Having nowhere to display or hide anything is a pet peeve of so many tenants, yet having plenty of it is a massive selling point for hiding and holding the things that everyone owns.

• Hooks, shelves, and hanging places make life so much easier. They can add extra style, and remove the need for tenants to drill holes for coats, bathrobes, utensils, books, pictures, etc.
• You won’t find more space-efficient or tidy bedroom storage than full-height built-in wardrobes with sliding mirror doors - they also make rooms look bigger!
• Bathroom cabinet - a big, mirrored, stainless steel cabinet will last for years, look expensive and provide your tenants with plenty of room to hide pills, potions and products.

As a bonus, well-planned storage means tenants don't need to buy bulky freestanding cupboards or shelves that chip and scuff walls on their way in and out, which often counts as fair wear and tear.

EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT STYLE UPDATES

A well-presented home attracts better tenants and commands a higher rent. Refreshing the decor doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

• Bathroom fittings are not expensive, and a new wash basin, loo or tub can seriously elevate things, as can replacing an unpredictable mixer tap and hose with a thermostatic shower.
• Replacing cabinet doors (or even just the handles) on kitchen units can deliver a completely new look without replacing the carcasses, which often stay in perfectly good condition.
• Buying nearly new appliances from top manufacturers like Bosch or Siemens adds a premium product and long-lasting reliability for the same price as a new budget-brand model.
• Old-fashioned or cracked tiles in kitchens and bathrooms can detract from the surrounding decor, but you can find excellent-value modern designs at a host of online stores.
• Dirty floor coverings are depressing, but many don’t need replacing. Carpets can look new again with a deep power clean, while engineered timber boards can be sanded and oiled.

As a final tip: when buying products like paint or tiles, always order a little extra for future touch-ups and repairs, as tints can have noticeable variations between different batches.

ENERGY SAVING & SECURITY UPGRADES

With more energy bill increases on the horizon, finding ways to lower your property’s running costs while raising the level of comfort is a winning combination to boost its rental value.

• Reduce drafts by fitting indoor covers over letterboxes and keyholes, adding insulation strips around doors, and filling cracks around window frames and skirting boards.
• Install an alarm. As well as providing extra security, it can reduce the cost of contents insurance for both you and your tenant.
• Place flow restrictors on showers, baths, wash basins, kitchen taps, and toilets to help your tenants use less water without any thought or effort.

These simple and inexpensive upgrades will reduce a tenant’s bills, give them a warmer and safer home, and create a feel-good factor of consuming less energy. What’s not to like?

OUTDOOR IMPROVEMENTS & KERB APPEAL

It's easy for a property's exterior to get overlooked and become scruffy, especially in winter, but it creates a disappointing first and lasting impression for a tenant. But there are some simple solutions.

• Remove any junk; jetwash paths, pavers and decking; use an organic spray killer to eliminate weeds; and fix any falling fence panels (then treat them for long-lasting weatherproofing).
• For small gardens, pea gravel and natural stone pavers are stylish and low-maintenance alternatives to lawns, ready for a tenant to add some outdoor furniture and a few pots.
• If you have a larger garden, consider adding a seasonal gardening service to the rent to keep it looking beautiful and valuable without being a burden to less green-fingered tenants.

In a nutshell, premium tenants are attracted to good-looking outdoor areas for effortless enjoyment, with no sense of neglect, potential problems or time-intensive upkeep.

Do you want to boost your property’s rental income?

Well, the first thing to do is get in touch and tell us all about your buy-to-let: we love nothing more than working with landlords to improve their businesses and boost their bottom line.

Call us on 01722 580059 or email us at info@piccoloproperty.co.uk to discover what the highest-earning tenants want from a rental home in the Wilton & Salisbury area, and how we can help you attract them.