Maybe you have a home to rent out for the summer right on the edge of Denver with a great view of the Rockies. You may have rented it to families with kids or to retirees who head south at the end of August. You have never had a bad tenant, and they keep to themselves so you usually just winterize the property before locking it up until the spring. But this time, when you get the keys back from your tenant, you find a disaster. They have left behind unwanted old clothes, stacks of garbage, and they have done damage to furniture and appliances. They have caused so much destruction that you are going to have to remodel the house, and it will require a significant home clean out. Next, you go to inspect the outside of the home and find more trash and unwanted junk left behind by the tenants in the yard. Not only will your rental property require what amounts to a spring clean out, but there will also have to be a yard clean up as well. You gave the tenant their deposit back before you inspected the house and you want to kick yourself as they speed away along I-70. You have never faced a nightmare tenant before, and you don’t know what to do about it. Don’t worry, Dumpster Maxx is here to help. Here are some ways you can clean up after your tenant and get your rental property back in shape.
The first thing you need to do is inspect the property and see how much of what was left behind is being thrown away, and how much waste is going to be produced by the rental clean out and construction. Once you have determined how much waste is going to be produced, call us at Dumpstermaxx, and we will advise you on your waste container needs, and then we will deliver as many roll-off dumpsters as you need right to your location.
As with any major project, a rental property clean out requires a plan and organization. Make sure to wear thick gloves, safety goggles, and an allergy or breathing mask before you start. The first thing you should remove from your rental property is obvious, any garbage that could become a bio-hazard should be removed. Be prepared to find anything from human waste, to pet waste, to a dead pet itself. One only has to search the internet for “nightmare tenants” and see what kind of awful things renters leave behind. Make sure to check inside cabinets, closets, and refrigerators. Once you have removed the garbage from the home, its time to really examine the damage that was done. Chairs and couches may have stains and cigarette burns that make them beyond repair. Carpets may have to be removed if a carpet cleaning service cannot remove a giant purple Kool-Aide stain or the numerous pet urine remnants that dot the carpet like a constellation. Paneling on walls may need to be removed, or demolition of the existing drywall and its replacement may be required. Make sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect the house before shuttering it for the winter.
The next step is to deal with the front and back yard around the house. Make sure that the gloves you are wearing are thick enough not to be punctured by any unseen sharp objects in taller grass. Check for broken bottles, old toys, rusty nails, and in some cases: syringes. The next step is to remove any unwanted lawn furniture left by the tenant or your damaged lawn furniture. With the winter only a few months away, grass should be cut, leaves and clippings bagged and thrown in the dumpster, and tree branches pruned.
Once you have gone through the cleanup process, you will have a house ready for rental in the spring, and a learning experience you can apply to your next tenants. Contact Dumpstermaxx for rates and availability on all our dumpsters and waste receptacles.