When managing rental property, one challenge you will likely face is repairing the holes that are left in the walls of a rental property by a tenant. Residents want to hang up items like artwork, photos of loved ones, and shelving, which often requires nails or tacks. Most rental agreements require that nail holes be repaired upon vacating the property. If you are a property manager or owner, check out our tips on how to affordably and quickly repair holes.

Repairing Nail Holes

Start by using a screwdriver to remove screws, needle-nose pliers to remove dry-wall anchors, and the back of a hammer for nails. Pull them straight out of the wall to lessen the risk of creating even larger holes to fill. Removing dry-wall anchors or screws might result in a slight outward protrusion. A sanding cap that can be found on certain repair tools can be used to smooth out the drywall.

Use your preferred wall-patching product and squeeze a substantial quantity of filler into the holes.  Use a putty knife to get rid of any excess filler from the holes.  If the hole is big, the ‘fill and scrape’ process might have to be repeated a few times until the outlines of the holes are flush with the wall.

When dealing with tiny holes, sanding can typically be done right away, while larger holes that require additional putty will need roughly an hour to dry before sanding. Use fine-grit sandpaper to eliminate any excess putty from around or on top of the hole.

When the hole is filled, dry, and flush, use a small roller or brush to paint the patch job. If the paint matches perfectly and the same roller type is used as the current paint treatment, the patching and paint job and should be undetectable when completely dry.

Patching Peeled Paint

Peeled paint is another patching project you could encounter after a tenant vacates the property. This type of peeling could result from removing vinyl decals, artwork that has been hung on the wall for a long time, shelves hung snugly on glossy paint, or even Command Strips when not properly removed.  Even though you may want to just slap some paint on the area and forget about it, applying the same patching technique can assist in creating a cleaner, smoother surface. After the raw edges are sanded, the filler or putty should be applied along the edges of the peeled paint and across the whole affected area to produce a smooth surface.

Here at Specialized Property Management Fort Worth, we know it’s not always easy to keep your rental property investment in good condition, so let us do it for you. No matter what damage is left behind at the end of a tenancy, we get it properly fixed as soon as possible to keep your revenue coming. For more information, contact us at 817-886-9220 or through our website today!