Tenant Changeovers

One of the many social phenomena one runs into as a handyman is something I call “the tenant changeover.”

Typically, when someone rents an apartment, they stay there for a good long time, like a year or five.  Then one day they decide to move out.   Typically a tenant gives 30 days’ notice, so the landlord is often in a spot where they want to “spiff up” the place to get higher rent but they also don’t want to shut the place down for renovations and lose a months’ rental income.  So once the tenant moves out, assuming they moved before the end of the month, before the next tenant can come in,  there is a mad scramble to clean up and fix up and spiff up the 1-15 years of wear and tear in a very short space of time while the place is empty.  And this becomes “the tenant changeover.”

So, this being the end of the month, I had until the first of next month (i.e., one week) to do everything they wanted done.  Here we go.

Here we see the bedroom with a less than ideal light fixture:

I call this look “early Alcatraz.”

So with a little guidance from my electrician mentor I popped in a new fixture.

And, also whilst I was at it, I talked the guy into a new Lutron rocker dimmer . . .  They are kinda pricey but he’ll have it forever and it adds value.  I love dimmer switches.   Obviously, this one below is installed but not shoved into box yet.

Next, a bit of water damage was marring the living room ceiling bigtime
So on day one I sealed it all up with shellac, and on day 2 I painted it white and it turned out really well.

It would take way too long to post all the little cosmetic fixes I did in this unit.  Those are just the big highlights.

This entire building place is funky in spots but it provides pretty decent housing for folks who need a lower priced place to stay for a while, and I am happy to support those efforts.

Author: admin

Hi, Justin here. I do handyman work in the Boston Metrowest area. I specialize in solving problems, like doors that don't close right, things that don't hang right, and many basic small repairs. Note, I don't do bigger projects like building decks, I prefer to fix things already installed. I love healing old houses and making things look right. Call 781 330 8143 or email handyauthor@gmail.com.

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