Many Essex rental property owners get to the point where they decide whether to install ceiling fans in their rooms or not. This can be challenging because many landlords know how hard some tenants can be on a rental home, therefore increasing the possibility of ceiling fans being broken. But even with that possibility, there are still a lot of good reasons for installing ceiling fans in your rental properties. By knowing the pros and cons of doing so, you can decisively settle the ceiling fan question.
There are many advantages to installing ceiling fans in your rental properties. Probably the most important one is that renters want them! Some renters will not consider a rental home that doesn’t have ceiling fans in the bedrooms, if not the main living areas. Many people like it when their homes have good air circulation especially when it starts to feel stuffy. If your rental has multiple bedrooms and residents, installing ceiling fans in each room lets each resident use them according to their own comfort.
Aside from helping keep residents comfortable, ceiling fans are also far more energy-efficient than central air. A ceiling fan may just be what your residents need to stay comfortable in the mild summers. But even in hot climates, a ceiling fan is useful in helping air conditioning units function more efficiently, reducing the need to have the air conditioning running year-round. Ceiling fans are designed in a way that they can push warm air down during winter, and in summer, pull hot air up and out. This can help lower utility costs and strain on your HVAC unit, therefore increasing the life of the system.
Alongside these benefits, here are some disadvantages of putting ceiling fans in your rental properties. Perhaps the most common problem is that ceiling fans can become noisy over time. Correctly installed, a ceiling fan should make very little noise. Renters will start noticing the unpleasant noises when the blades have become unbalanced.
Another problem with ceiling fans is the lighting quality and overall aesthetic. Your rental home can look cheap or dated if you use cheap ceiling fans. The right size is also important in choosing ceiling fans. If they are too big or too small for space, it could turn away a potential renter. Also, ceiling fans are not very good sources of good lighting. Some ceiling fans have frosted lighting covers or exposed bulbs that can make a room either too dark or too bright. Other high-quality fans have multi-function lighting, where bulbs can be lit at any one time, but this will be more expensive.
It is important to remember that there is always the potential for damage. People or objects could hit the ceiling fan and damage the glass shades or the blades themselves, making the fan inoperable. However, most landlords have observed that this rarely happens. Installing quality ceiling fans usually pay for themselves by making the rental property more attractive to renters.
Ultimately, the decision to install ceiling fans in your rental properties is one that only you can make. But with this information on hand, you can easily make that choice. There will be other decisions related to your rental properties that will not be this easy, and you might want some expert advice on other questions as well. If that is the case, consider giving Real Property Management Sterling a call. Our Essex property managers can help you not only manage your properties more efficiently but also ensure that you are maximizing the potential of each one of your investments. Call us today at 802-861-6468 to find out how!
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.