If you run a single-family rental unit, new parents can be an exciting opportunity for your business. These families are commonly looking for a stable home and might even consider sticking around for a couple of years. However, with these families come young children and, therefore, it is in your best interest to childproof the entire property.
Sure, this decision may account for some additional wear and tear around your rental unit, but it could save you from some serious liability problems. That said, here are a few ways you can childproof your property without making any unnecessary or permanent changes:
1. Electrical Outlets
As you already know, children are impatient and curious about anything and everything they set their eyes on. Right now, they are getting acquainted with various objects and, therefore, everything seems exciting. Unfortunately, this also includes the dangerous few corners of your homes that are commonly found at their height, such as electrical outlets.
Children wouldn’t be afraid of sticking their finger into the holes and slots of electrical outlets. Therefore, you should consider installing inexpensive plastic inserts. You might be able to buy about a dozen in just a couple of dollars.
2. Baby Gates
Baby gates work like a crowd-control system for busy parents who have younger children. You see, as soon as children begin to crawl, it is crucial that they install gates to keep them confined and out of trouble.
You will be able to find plenty of different kinds of baby gates, and some of these can also be installed by renters without actually hardwiring them into walls or door frames.
3. Sharp Corners and Edges
Landlords don’t realize how many sharp corners they have around their rental units. However, if they begin examining their property by stepping into a baby’ shoes, the image will get clearer. From coffee tables to end tables and countertops to appliances, a rental unit is flooded with dangerously sharp edges.
In order to protect young children from getting scraped or being cut, landlords and property managers should consider installing bumper guards. Alternatively, tenants should also be given the option to temporarily remove certain pieces of furniture to make their living spaces safer.
4. Cabinet Locks
Once children begin to crawl, they can get around faster than you can scream, “Where’s my baby!”
Things start to get a lot more challenging when they begin to grab onto objects and pull themselves up because they will begin to climb on practically anything.
Other than fireplaces and other places off-limit areas, there is something about cabinets and drawers that really fuel a child’s curiosity. Thankfully, for parents and landlords alike, there are numerous cabinet lock options that don’t involve screwing into hardware.
Since you don’t want your tenants to be drilling holes into your drawers and cabinets, you can choose any one of the following options as a suitable solution:
- For cabinets that have bar pulls and drawer knobs, you can use sliding cabinet locks to latch a door in place.
- You can also use adhesive locks to keep the little troublemakers from getting into where they don’t belong
- Magnetic locks also latch onto cabinets with the help of easy to remove adhesives.
Final Thoughts
Voila! You’ve learned how to childproof your rental unit. However, if you are having trouble sparing time to do all that is necessary, you can always delegate these tasks to your property manager.
If you haven’t hired a property manager already, click here to learn more about our services and how an experienced property manager can share some of your burdens.
