Eco Friendly Homes and Garden Tips for Landlords
Eco friendly homes – all things eco-friendly are on the rise as more people are taking of their own carbon footprints. Living green has become fashionable for young couples and families so it is important that as the landlord of a property, you make your advert stand out from the rest with thought and care. Look online to find a top property management service to get your properties onto the market and one that promotes eco friendly homes. These greener improvements can also lower energy bills, therefore you can charge your tenants accordingly, safe in the knowledge that they will benefit from an eco friendly house.
Eco Friendly Houses
It is a good tip to improve your property from the outside in, so that viewers can see that you have put in the hard work to make your property modern and sellable. Eco houses are becoming increasingly sought after as people become more environmentally aware.
A key focus which will lower your energy bills is the roof. There are several ways to take advantage of the sunlight beaming down onto a roof throughout the year. Firstly is the instillation of solar panels. These come in two forms: solar panels to convert electricity and solar water heating panels which utilises the sun’s heat to warm your domestic water and heating. You can also invest in a skylight. Not only does a skylight look great to a potential tenant but it also floods the house with light, making the space look larger. The skylight also converts some of the sun’s light into warmth, lowering not only electricity bills but heating bills as well.
Invest in motion sensor lighting alongside energy saving light bulbs to cut electricity bills. These sensors can be used inside and outside of the property.
Kit out your property with appliances which have energy saving logos and take time to ensure that all fixtures and fittings such as taps are in working order to prevent leaks.
Tenants will also expect the house to be properly insulated if you plan to charge them extra for better return on investment. Cotton and sheep’s wool are just two eco-friendly insulation materials on the market which can be used in the loft and around the boiler. These alternative materials also decrease the chances of health problems which are caused by some synthetic insulators such as respiratory problems.
Make sure to also eliminate further drafts by mending gaps in floorboards and fitting windows with double glazing. You will normally get a discount if you use one supplier for the whole of the property.
Eco Friendly Gardens
Converting a property into an eco-friendly haven can also extend into the garden. A well maintained and thought-out garden can be a selling point for a potential tenant, as a property with a good garden in an inner city is harder to come by. Make the garden a modern, green focal point, not just an afterthought. The main source of energy bills in terms of a garden is water. There are a few ways to tackle this problem whilst making the garden look appealing to eco-savvy tenants for a complete property package.
Firstly, install a water butt. It may seem like a small point in the grand scheme of things but a water butt is an inexpensive and easy way to collect rainwater, which will make watering the garden totally independent from the main water supply all year round.
By installing sprinklers, this will also allow the greener parts of the garden to be watered throughout the year whilst using less water.
Planting is also important when your property is for sale. Lay down a durable weed barrier, and then choose a clever and colourful planting scheme by grouping together plants with similar needs. Select plants which also attract pest eating insects for a more natural pesticide. It is wise to choose hardy durable plants as you will not know how long your property will be on the market. By doing this, you will cut down on using toxic pesticides and the garden is more likely to nurture itself so when it comes to viewing day, you won’t be leading future tenants around a weed infested, shrivelled garden. Take this time to also repair and touch up paintwork and fencing to make the garden a sellable feature.
