As you may already know, Stephanie and I have a rental property on the east side of Indy – we’ve had tenants there for the last two years and they’ve just now moved out, so we went over on Sunday to take a look at the house. The property manager had already done an inspection during the week and said there was some serious cleaning and painting and other stuff to be done, so we went over to assess what we wanted to do ourselves and what we should have them repair.
We walked all over the house lamenting how poorly the rental family had done taking care of the place and what we needed to do – we thought we’d let them clean, but attempt the painting ourselves. We’re still deciding on that; last time we did the painting, it took quite a while, and we want the house ready and back up for rent ASAP.
After our assessment of the house, it became clear that we needed to get serious about restoring it to its former glory. The last tenants had left quite a mess, and we wanted to ensure that everything was in perfect condition for the next renters. While we initially considered doing the cleaning ourselves, the amount of work involved was daunting. Opting for a bond back cleaner would save us time and energy, allowing us to focus on the painting and any necessary repairs. These professionals specialize in ensuring that properties meet the cleaning standards required for tenants to get their full bond back, which is exactly what we needed to help facilitate a smooth transition to the next rental family.
We knew that tackling both cleaning and painting ourselves could delay the timeline for getting the house back on the market. With the right cleaning service, we could trust that every corner of the house would be thoroughly cleaned, making it more appealing to potential tenants. Additionally, having a professional handle the cleaning means we can be confident that we’re meeting all the requirements to avoid any issues with the security deposit.
Once we made the decision to hire a cleaning service, we began researching local options to ensure we found the right team for the job. After some consideration, we decided to go with Crystal Clean Services, a company known for its attention to detail and reputation for delivering thorough, high-quality cleaning. Their team specializes in all kind of cleaning, and we felt confident that they would leave the house spotless and ready for the next tenants. The comprehensive service they offer, from deep cleaning carpets to scrubbing kitchen appliances, gave us peace of mind that we were making the right choice.
Then we went down in the basement. And we discovered 8 inches of water in the partially finished basement. It was bad. The water was high enough to cover the outlets. We went home and got our rain boots, and we called Stephanie’s dad, who drove down from Valpo with 2 pumps that we set up and started pumping water outside. Once we got the water level down we were able to wade over and see why the sump pump wasn’t working – it had been unplugged by the tenants. Not good. This was the result:
We managed to get the pump turned back on and between all 3 pumps, Stephanie and her dad got all the water out of the basement. (I had to go to bed so I could get up to pick up my rental car in the morning.) There is some work to be done on the water heater potentially, but the furnace is up and running.
We need to have some additional inspection I think, and we need to go over and truly clean stuff up. Lots of stuff in the basement that needs to get thrown out, and we need to get some de-humidifiers & fans going. Also, I’m making some instructional signs for the sump pump and for the washtubs that the washer and dryer drain into, which always seems to get clogged up.
We’ve had some crappy weather-related problems so far this year – I’m hoping that the rest of the year goes more smoothly.
I’m really concerned with how this will affect the next few weeks – I was looking forward to it getting warmer so I could spend time outside. I’ve been getting caught up on photo editing, so I’m ready to get back out to take photos. I have a bunch of work in our own yard to accomplish, and a bunch of writing to do, now that I finally feel like I have some sort of momentum going on the writing. And frankly, I’m worried about this chewing up all the money I got back from my tax refund and from my company bonus. I had some big plans for that money, and I hate to see it sucked into the rental house.