A house that was built in 2012 should still look great, rental or not.
That’s what you’d expect. But some of those new houses look… Not great. They look worn and cheap, which makes no sense, especially when you consider that there are houses that are 50 years old and still look perfect.
And while it’s true that a 50-year-old house likely looks a bit dated, it’s still better than a new house that looks broken. But how can a new house look tired already? As it turns out, that happens with rentals all the time.
Let’s see why.
Why Many Quick Renovations Create Problems in the Long Run
When you look at the listing photos and see all those rental upgrades, you probably admire the beauty of it all. Unfortunately, looks are about as far as it goes in many cases because the goal isn’t to make people who will live there happy and comfortable, but to get them to sign a lease.
This is why the improvements aren’t really improvements.
Everything you see is surface-level: fresh paint over old stains, thin vinyl flooring that was rolled out in a single afternoon, inexpensive fixtures bought in a plastic bag from a big box store, etc. To be fair, none of these are terrible on their own, but when you put them all together AND add rushed installation on top of it all, it can’t be good.
Take flooring, for example:
Cheap laminate looks nice in pictures, and it’s okay for a walkthrough, but think of someone actually living with it. The first time someone spills a little water on it, the edges will start to swell. Give it a year, and those little bumps will become soft spots. The same goes for cabinets; if they were installed quickly, it can’t be good. Quick installation means that a contractor ran a few screws into the wall and called it a day.
After a while, the hinges will get loose, and the doors will get crooked.
Bathrooms are where the shortcuts are the most obvious.
If the ventilation isn’t done well, then the space will trap moisture, which means mold will become your shower buddy soon. Cheap caulking will turn yellow and peel away, the vanity will swell from underneath, etc.
Keep in mind that not all rentals are like this.
Some property owners want to do a good job, and they take their time comparing financing options and researching the best rental property lenders. They’ll take the time and effort not only to buy the property, but to renovate it properly, as well.
What Makes Rental Homes Feel Worn out Even Though Nothing Is Technically Broken
The strange thing about these types of rentals is that you can walk in and turn on every appliance, switch on every light, and every faucet runs, but the place still looks tired and worn.
And you can’t quite put your finger on why it’s like that, right?
Well, here are a few reasons.
Cheap Flooring That Ages Fast
Good flooring is expensive, but it lasts a long time. Cheap flooring, on the other hand, starts to look really bad really fast. It’s even worse if you put cheap flooring in a rental because rentals see a lot of traffic. Tenants come and go, people drag furniture in and out, and some will even wear shoes inside the house. Thin laminate or low-density vinyl simply can’t take that.
They start to show dents within a year, the finish fades, and they can’t compare to solid hardwood floors. Even if those old planks are scratched and faded, you can still refinish them, and they’ll look perfect again.
You don’t have that option with cheap flooring.
Poor Lighting
Lighting should get more credit because it affects not only your mood, but the way the whole space looks. If the house has good lighting, it can hide a lot of small issues. Bad lighting, however, makes every imperfection glaringly obvious.
The biggest problem is when landlords decide to mix and match light bulbs all around the house, so you have some rooms with warm yellow bulbs and some with cool white ones. Terrible.
Inconsistent Repairs
Some people maintain their properties, others patch up what’s urgent.
The latter always ends up looking bad.
A kitchen that has 3 different shades of white from several touch-ups looks like it’s had a stroke. Doorknobs that are a mix of old brass and brushed nickel are another sign that the place hasn’t seen anything but quick touch-ups for years.
Patch jobs in the drywall, plastic white knobs in the bathroom… The signs are everywhere, and none of them point to anything good.
Conclusion
Homes don’t fall apart because they’re old, but because they’re not cared for.
And you’ll see this in a surprising number of rentals because the owners are only after the money. Peeling caulk, doors that don’t close, mold from trapped moisture, some of these houses look like they’ve been through a war. At the same time, the houses that have actually survived wars end up looking better.
It’s never about age; it’s about care.
