How to Go Green: Rentals
Your rental home or apartment complex may have a bigger environmental footprint than you think. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, homes and other buildings consume about 40 percent of all energy utilization in the U.S. Determining ways to make your rental home or apartment complex more appealing to green-leaning tenants before you lease your spaces is a key element in reducing your tenants’ carbon footprint.
Attract Green-Conscious Tenants
Americans love their outdoor spaces. The American Society of Landscape Architects found that 96 percent of those surveyed in its 2013 Residential Landscape Architect Trends report stated they wanted outdoor grills, followed closely by outdoor living spaces featuring outdoor kitchens and entertainment areas. If your apartment complex or home does not yet have a built-in barbecue area, you might not be attracting tenants who value outdoor living spaces.
Second on the list was low-maintenance landscaping, according to 94 percent of those surveyed. An extra benefit of installing low-maintenance landscaping is that it can substantially lower your apartment complex maintenance bill and can enable many renters to do much of the maintenance themselves. Choosing native plants reduces the amount of effort it takes to keep them healthy, while simultaneously reducing water usage. In addition, people also liked the idea of gardens to grow fruits and vegetables. Paying attention to these trends can even increase the length of your tenants’ stay.
Before You Rent
Make sure your rental is green-cleaned. Look for local cleaning companies that use Green Seal certified organic products to clean floors and carpeting, and make sure that any painting done is with low-volatile organic compounds paint. Install low-flow toilets and low-flow shower devices in vacant units. Once your unit is ready for a prospective tenant, be sure to screen all applicants through a service like American Apartment Owners Association, to weed out any possible “problem” renters so you can protect your property.
Start a Recycling Initiative
If you own a complex, recycling, reusing and reducing waste is a smart way to reduce carbon footprints. Contact your local sanitation department to see what services or programs are available. For example, the NYC Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Waste Reduction offers information on creating an apartment building recycling initiative, and offers training for residents, managers and landlords.
Get Educated
Many property management companies are recognizing the benefits of going green. To learn more about green principles and practices, consider taking The National Apartment Association Education Institute’s “The Green Property Management Course.” It is designed to provide property owners and apartment managers with the educational training needed to obtain the CGPM (Credential for Green Property Management).
Think Outside the Box
Making a move, the average renter requires 60 cardboard boxes—approximately 80 pounds of cardboard. That is a lot of trees! If your rental unit is in the San Francisco Bay area, tell your tenants about ZippGo’s green plastic boxes, which save trees by reducing cardboard use. If only 100 people moving per month switched to ZippGo boxes, 48 less tons of cardboard per year would be consumed. The bonus: ZippGo picks up and delivers boxes.
