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How to Make Your Rental’s Entryway More Accessible

entryway of Lee's Summit homeAs a Lee’s Summit rental property owner, the safety of your tenants is a top priority. However, you likewise need a property with excellent curb appeal. The most profitable investment properties combine the two by designing attractive, accessible entryway areas. By making sure your tenants can come and go with ease, you can significantly reduce slips and falls on the property.

But an accessible entryway isn’t just about safety. By devising an accessible entry into your rental property, you can expand your potential renter demographic and attract seniors or renters with accessibility needs. In what follows, we’ll take a more solid look at ways that you can make your property’s entryway both safer and more aesthetically pleasing.

Entry points to a house curb access to the property. This is what makes them such an important aspect of preparing your home for tenants. Several single-family rental homes are not fundamentally built with easy accessibility in mind. This is especially true of older homes, which often come with safety hazards like rail-less steps or slippery walkway materials. Newer homes may have the same concerns, but improved building codes and a better understanding of universal design has significantly improved accessibility in many ways.

No matter when your rental property was built, it’s essential to begin by evaluating it from an accessibility standpoint. To get an exact picture of how accessible your rental home is, begin with a slow walk through entry areas, scanning for potential issues. Walk from the edge of the property line up the driveway and front walkway. Consider how smooth the walkway surfaces are and whether there are damaged areas that might trip someone or cause a wheelchair to get stuck. If possible, have a friend walk beside you.

You may be surprised at how narrow your front walkway is. Both damaged surfaces and narrow access points can make it difficult for some tenants to use them safely. The same is correct for right-angle turns. Think of substituting sharp corners with curves instead. A gently curving pathway up to the front door will not only be more accessible, but it will add a beautiful feature to the front of the house as well.

Another present trouble area for entryway accessibility is the front steps. Although common, steps can make it very difficult for some tenants to come and go safely. This is particularly true if your rental property is in an area where ice and snow can be a difficulty. The best home designs have no steps into the house. But even if your property already has them, there are things you can do to make your entryway more accessible.

If your rental home doesn’t already have one, start by installing a sturdy handrail and good exterior lighting. Railings should extend at least one foot beyond the bottom of the stairs, and lights should be placed carefully for clear illumination of each step. Also, consider adding non-slip strips or material to the steps.

If your accessibility planning requires you to invest some money into improving your front steps, think about using that same money to replace them entirely. Depending on how high the front doorstep is, it might be more cost-effective to build a ramp up to the front door. Some of the best entryway ramps don’t even look like ramps. Rather, they have been designed so well that they look no different from a slightly raised cement walkway with a gentle upward slope. In this way, you can upgrade the curb appeal of your property while still adding a low-profile ramp that will greatly enhance the safety of the entry areas.

Are you looking for more ways to make your rental safer – and expand your renter demographic at the same time? Contact Real Property Management Consultants by reaching out online or give us a call at 816-207-0750.

 

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