Rental bathroom renovations are a little different then most bathroom renovations we do. Spending money and renovating a room which you won’t use or really see is a strange process. It’s hard not to get attached or want to make that room your dream bathroom. We often see clients torn and find it hard to make decisions sometimes making the wrong ones. Below we give you 4 tips for renovating your bathroom in a rental/investment property.
 

Put A Brick On It

We are all looking to do Hobless showers in 2019 for our own bathrooms. The bulky brickwork that surrounds the shower floor can be an eyesore and inconvenient but it does one thing effectively, It retains waters. With a rental, you never know what type of tenant you are going to get or how they will use the shower so often I would recommend installing a small hob for an open shower or a corner recess with a screen. Fixed panel shower screens also reduce the number of swinging parts a tenant can break!
 
Below are two examples of shower setups with a hob one in North Perth the other in Subiaco.
 

 

 

Shower Fittings

This leads to the next piece of advice. If you can, always aim to install a high fixed shower head.
 

 
Fixed shower heads like above are a simple item that looks streamline but the most positive aspect is they little to no adjustable parts. Often with sliding rails, tenants will either pull them as a grab rail, allow them to go rusty from improper cleaning or wear out the holding mechanism needing the rail to be replaced. When you are making a bathroom renovation for a rental the key is to have the least amount of items that can be damaged over time. Adding to keeping it simple try to avoid coloured or shaded tapware like matte black as it does not last as long as you would want Click Here for more information. The next item will help you prevent damage.

Let it breathe

Ventilation is key for keeping a bathroom ceiling from going mouldy. Often the best ways to do this is to keep the window open or turn the exhaust fan on. Let’s face it most of us don’t want a cold draft from the window when we shower so the exhaust fan is the only option to take that steam away. The noise can be annoying though so often given the choice we won’t turn it on. My advice takes that decision away and have one switch for the light and exhaust this way you don’t have to worry about the fan being turned on when someone showers further protecting your ceiling from future damage.
 

 

 

No one likes cleaning

Lastly, let’s talk about tiles. If you can incorporate a pattern in your tiles like a rental we completed below you will go along way in keeping the bathroom always looking the same. It does not have to be as decorative more just enough to hide hair. Flat or dull colors will show every mark and look dirty in seconds.
 

 

 
One other way to keep that bathroom looking clean for longer is sealing the grout. Grout is porous by nature so where possible seal the grout and keep it fresh, lastly the shower screen has the same porous nature. Speak to your local glazier about products such as enduro shield to reduce the cleaning time.
 
One other way to keep that bathroom looking clean for longer is sealing the grout. Grout is porous by nature so where possible seal the grout and keep it fresh, lastly the shower screen has the same porous nature. Speak to your local glazier about products such as enduro shield to reduce the cleaning time.
 

 
So there are a few points to take into consideration when renovating your bathroom in your rental property. It’s a hard one to pick and choose items for as your hard earned money is being put into this renovation and you sometimes just want it too look the best it can. Try to always look at it as risk management opposed to your dream bathroom as the tenant might not treat it the same.
 
It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice. At on the ball bathrooms we love feedback so let us know what you think with a comment below or if you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia contact us on 0419964678 or email us at info@ontheballbathrooms.com.au

 
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