As a Dallas property manager, the safety of your tenants is a major priority. You likewise need a property with great curb appeal. The most effective investment properties combine the two by producing attractive, accessible entry areas. You can significantly reduce slips and falls on the property by making sure your tenants can come and go without difficulty.
An accessible entryway isn’t just about security. With the help of an accessible entry into your rental property, you can enhance your potential renter demographic and attract seniors or renters with accessibility needs. What follows is we’ll take a closer look at aspects that you can make your property’s entryway both safer and more aesthetically pleasing.
Why Entryways Matter
Entry points to a house control access to the property. As a result, they are an important aspect of preparing your home for tenants. Many single-family rental homes are not essentially built with easy accessibility in mind. This is wholly accurate for older homes, which often have safety hazards like steps without railings or slippery walkway items. Newer homes may be experiencing the same problems, but improved building codes and a better understanding of universal design had substantially improved accessibility in countless ways.
Assess Accessibility
No matter when your rental property was constructed, it’s important to start by evaluating it from an accessibility standpoint. To get an accurate picture of how accessible your rental home is, begin with a slow walk through entry areas, looking for possible issues. Walk from the edge of the property and line up the driveway and front walkway. Consider how smooth the walkway surfaces are and whether there are damaged areas that might trip someone or cause a wheelchair to get stuck. Carry on with a companion if at all possible.
A lot of what you’re about to learn might come as a surprise at how narrow your front walkway is. Both damaged surfaces and narrow access points can make it difficult for some tenants to use them safely. The very same applies to right-angle turns. Consider replacing sharp corners with curves instead. A gently curving pathway up to the front door will not only be more accessible but, it will be an appealing feature to the front of the house as well.
Another real trouble area for entryway accessibility is the front steps. Although common, steps can make it difficult for some tenants to come and go safely. This is particularly true if your rental property is in an area where ice and snow can be a problem. The best home designs have no steps into the house. But even if your property already has them, there are things you can do to make your entryway more accessible.
How to Improve Access
There are numerous simple ways to improve the safety and accessibility of your rental home. For example:
Stairs: If your rental home doesn’t already have one, start by installing a solid handrail and good exterior lighting. Railings should extend at least one foot beyond the bottom of the stairs, and lights should be placed carefully for clear illumination of each step. Also, consider adding non-slip strips or material to the steps.
Entry Doors: Another thing that can make an entryway more accessible is the type of hardware used. Traditional doorknobs can be hard to use for many people. Instead, consider installing a keypad, using lever handles, or even an automatic opener.
Ramps: If your accessibility planning requires you to invest some money into upgrading your front steps, think about using that same money to replace them entirely. Depending on how high the front doorstep is, it might be more cost-effective to build a ramp up to the front door. Some of the best entryway ramps don’t even look like ramps. Rather, they have been designed so well that they look no different from a slightly raised cement walkway with a gentle upward slope. In this way, you can upgrade the curb appeal of your property while still adding a low-profile ramp that will greatly improve the safety of the entry areas.
Improving the safety and accessibility of your Dallas rental property’s entryway is an important part of keeping your property profitable and increasing value. Using these strategies, you can also expand your renter demographic while achieving these goals.
Are you looking for more ways to make your rental safer – and expand your renter demographic at the same time? Communicate with Real Property Management 360 by reaching out online or giving us a call at 817-502-3588.
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.
