Buy to let carpeting advice
Buying carpets for letting properties
At Tony Mustoe's Carpets we've seen a growing market for buy-to-let floor coverings, in fact, we're seeing many landlords replacing carpets from the first generations of tenants.
Here is advice based on what we've learnt.
Valuable experience teaches this golden rule
RULE: Don't buy carpets that appeal primarily to your sense of aesthetics, buy with the maximum practicality in mind.
There is one exception to this rule - if you are letting to professional tenants who will demand up-market furnishings and can be relied upon to look after the house and fittings. This apart, consider the following advice...
Polypropylene loop carpet with a felt backing is the ideal choice because:
- Polypropylene is very stain resistant
- Loop piles minimise the flattening polypropylene is prone to
- Felt backing saves on underlay costs
Buying to let is a business proposition - a return is the priority
It should be obvious that the more you spend, the less proceeds are left to you as a landlord. This isn't as straightforward as it sounds. Very cheap, inappropriate carpet will need replacing far more frequently than a practical choice.
Think about this - as a carpet retailer, we rarely see landlords replacing worn out floor coverings - it's almost always down to staining. I have personally seen many carpets made from polypropylene that landlords have had to replace (despite the superior stain resistance the material offers).
Tenants rarely show the same respect to your purchase as you would. It never ceases to amaze us how much tenants damage carpets with soiling.