Rental Property Flooring
How to choose the best flooring for rental properties?
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Whether short-term or long-term, rental properties are someone’s home. However, unlike other homes, multi-unit rental properties can change hands on a regular basis, with each new tenant bringing with them a different set of requirements and expectations. This requires considered design choices, providing an attractive and welcoming interior space for tenants, one that can be built upon to make the property their home, whilst also being practical and long-lasting.
As one of the largest interior surface areas, flooring can have a major impact on the way a space is perceived and used. As such, landlords or designers must have a clear idea in mind for their desired flooring scheme, with such a wide range of flooring and almost unlimited design choices now available on the market.
Read on to learn more about rental flooring, the floor coverings to look out for, things to avoid and the various floor coverings available to the private rental sector.
Rental property flooring
There is a huge variety of floor coverings for rental properties available to choose from on the market, such as carpet tiles, vinyl planks, entrance flooring or even linoleum – each bringing its own benefits. None is more qualified for the job than the other, meaning the landlord or specifier should instead consider the usage of the property, the size of the interior space, the room’s function and of course their budget.
Whilst some properties may need an up-market touch, with a modern and stylish finish such as that offered by a wood effect Luxury Vinyl Tile or plank, others may simply require a more practical floor covering in the shape of a durable linoleum. Or, for those looking for a more colourful and comfortable feel, carpet tiles could be the perfect fit. The most important thing to bear in mind when looking at flooring for rental properties is how each space will be used and the effect you want it to have on a prospective tenant.
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What should I look for in rental flooring?
When looking at flooring solutions for the rental sector, there are multiple considerations to be made. First and foremost, the design. As touched upon before, there are a range of flooring designs and styles to choose from, with the chosen design having a significant part to play in creating a warm and homely environment.
That being said, there are other more practical considerations behind a floor covering specification. For example, an easy to clean, durable and dimensionally stable floor covering can bring a wealth of benefits, not just for the landlord but also for the tenant themselves. Installing a floor covering that can withstand heavy footfall, busy families or just the day-to-day mess of life can be key to maintaining an attractive property, helping to both maximise interest from prospective tenants and assist the current tenant in keeping the place in top condition.
Another technical specification to be mindful of, especially if the property is in a multi-accommodation building, is acoustics. Unwanted noise has been shown to have a measurable effect on the mental health and well-being of people living in residential spaces, resulting in increased stress levels . By finding a floor covering that has impact sound reduction qualities, this excess noise can be minimised and there is often no need to sacrifice on aesthetics either.
What should I avoid in rental flooring?
A big stumbling point for many landlords and specifiers when looking at flooring for a rental property is choosing the wrong floor covering for the space. Whilst most will know textile floor coverings don’t belong in a kitchen, it may be difficult to select the right flooring for each room of a property.
With this in mind, considering how a tenant will use the space in a property can help to inform your flooring specification. For example, in living spaces, you will want to provide a comfortable and warm feel to the space, something that can be easily achieved through the installation of textile or luxury vinyl tile floor coverings. Alternatively, in communal spaces or hallways, areas where you expect to see high footfall and the potential for spillages, a more durable and easier to clean floor covering, like vinyl flooring or linoleum, could be the go-to choice. These are just examples, however it does demonstrate that by considering the usage of a space you can make better specification choices.
Forbo’s floor coverings for rental flooring
With over 30 years’ experience, we have a range of floor coverings which are suitable for the private rental sector.
Allura Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)
Our Allura Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is a carefully designed and flexible collection of stylish and modern floor coverings, capable of being installed in a range of private rental properties. Our standard dryback offering contains over 90 contemporary and classic colourways, ranging from classic wood effect tiles to beautiful digitally designed floor coverings.
Not only this, but we also offer an acoustic version of our Allura LVT: Allura Decibel , which reduces impact sound by 19 dB and comes available in 49 colourways.
Additionally, we offer some of our Allura LVT range in an adhesive-free format, making the installation more environmentally friendly and reducing downtime for when time is of the essence. This also means that, should the flooring become damaged at all, it can be easily pulled up and replaced.
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Flotex
Flotex is a unique prospect on the market, combining the comfort of textile floor coverings, with the hygienic and practical advantages of a more resilient one. Due to the composition of flocked floor coverings, they are highly durable and extremely easy to clean - whether it’s an oil stain or some dropped food, flocked floor coverings can be restored to their previous condition with minimal effort.
We offer Flotex in a variety of colourways and designs, offering landlords and specifiers a range of options to choose from.
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Marmoleum
Marmoleum is our own brand of linoleum, a natural flooring renowned for its durability, sustainability and innovative design. Made from up to 98% natural raw materials, Marmoleum was recently found to be Climate Positive, meaning every square metre specified is actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Not only is Marmoleum incredibly sustainable but it’s also extremely durable, with our new Topshield pro top-layer meaning it will stand up to the demands of heavy footfall in communal areas. We offer Marmoleum in a range of aesthetics, including marble or linear wood-like effects. We also have an acoustic offering – Marmoleum Decibel, which can reduce impact noise by up to 18dB.
Bespoke
Finally, if you’re looking for the ultimate finish to your property, we offer bespoke flooring across a range of our flooring collections. Whether you want a digitally printed Flotex design or to add a logo onto an entrance flooring system, there are a variety of options to choose from. Utilising a bespoke flooring can set your property apart from the rest, incorporating unique colours and designs to curate a unique and striking flooring scheme.