Shower head with handheld sprayer for rental???

[branimal]

I've got a 2 bathrooms in a rental renovation I need to purchase the shower heads and tub spouts for.

1. Dry pack mortar shower 36"x45". 45" curb. Not really decided on the glass door style yet.
2. 60" alcove bathtub - will probably do a shower curtain setup on this.

I reno'd my own apartment and installed just the wall mounted shower head and I didn't do handheld sprayers. I kind of regret that, b/c the sprayer would make clean-up of the tile and grout easier.

I'm hoping the tenants are more likely to clean up the tile if they had a handheld sprayer. The downside is they are likely to get water everywhere.

What do you guys think?

 

[jrb2]

My wife and I own 9 rental units and we manage/maintain 7 more owned by my sister. I would avoid the hand held shower heads as it is just that much more stuff for tenants to break. As for cleaning, we stress to our tenants that we expect the unit to be as clean when they leave as it was when they moved in. This rarely happens. Occasionally we will get a tenant that is a good housekeeper but most don't care.

 

[JRC3]

Nope, keep it simple. It's just one more thing to break and cause a spraying leak that will be left to cause damage. I replace pullout faucets all the time in rentals and there is always a rotted out moldy cabinet underneath. And these are decent rentals and not city slums. When I replace them a 2 handle faucet with no separate sprayer goes back in. Rentals should never get garbage disposals or single handled kitchen faucets and especially no faucet with a sprayer. I would also not want to include a dishwasher but that is a built in and pretty much everyone wants one. Definitely no washer or dryer either.

Also write in that any clogs caused will be the tenants responsibility. Among the normal things like paper towels or tampons I've had plumbers snake out bath hand towels and washcloths. Renters think garbage disposals and toilets are trashcans.

 

[JRC3]

One rental I maintain is for one of my best friends, it is a shithole he bought because he wanted to get into rentals. It is a PITA and also built in the 1890s...

Years ago it kept having a leak down into the foyer under the bathroom. Eventually after two exploratory accesses holes and finding no leak I kindly said "oh yeah,..." and told the tenant to make sure the shower curtain was pulled all the way when they showered. Her reply, "I don't close/use the shower curtain when I shower." Of course this bath also had a handheld that at some point after that eventually got pulled so much it cracked the shower arm at the standpipe and leaked in the wall.

 

[gizardlizard]

I am so glad I don’t own any rental properties and all the BS that comes with owning them.

 

[branimal]

Got it... no separate sprayer.

Nope, keep it simple. It's just one more thing to break and cause a spraying leak that will be left to cause damage. I replace pullout faucets all the time in rentals and there is always a rotted out moldy cabinet underneath. And these are decent rentals and not city slums. When I replace them a 2 handle faucet with no separate sprayer goes back in. Rentals should never get garbage disposals or single handled kitchen faucets and especially no faucet with a sprayer. I would also not want to include a dishwasher but that is a built in and pretty much everyone wants one. Definitely no washer or dryer either.

Also write in that any clogs caused will be the tenants responsibility. Among the normal things like paper towels or tampons I've had plumbers snake out bath hand towels and washcloths. Renters think garbage disposals and toilets are trashcans.

Why 2 handle faucets as opposed to single for the bathtub / shower and the kitchen? They seem to be the a sleeker design.

Also, I love the gooseneck sprayer in my kitchen sink. I guess it does require wipe up after each dishwashing session.

 

[JRC3]

Why 2 handle faucets as opposed to single for the bathtub / shower and the kitchen? They seem to be the a sleeker design.

Only in the kitchen. Single handle kitchen faucets always seem to get damaged. and seem more prone to leak and go unreported and dribble on the counter. A kitchen sink doesn't contain a leak like a vanity or shower. And you really want a single handle in a shower mostly for scald protection and ease of cart replacement.

 

[2Rocky]

Showerheads are so much personal preference. Every time I ever rented a place, I put my own in, and took it with me when I left. Put a water conserving fixed showerhead and call it good.

 

[nadogail]

I try to keep my rentals as modern and nice as possible, attractive rentals generate higher rents. Some tenants have been difficult, but in 35 years I have only had to tell one it was time for him to Get Out.

Tenant selection should be done with care, if their credit score is less than excellent; you may regret renting to them.

My preferred faucet is Moen, I also like the Moen Positemp Shower Valve.

 

[mervyn]

Showerheads are so much personal preference. Every time I ever rented a place, I put my own in, and took it with me when I left. Put a water conserving fixed showerhead and call it good.

I made a shower head goose neck at my last apt. so the shower head sits up higher. Worked great. I hate those hand held things.

 

[dcg9381]

I reno'd my own apartment and installed just the wall mounted shower head and I didn't do handheld sprayers. I kind of regret that, b/c the sprayer would make clean-up of the tile and grout easier.

I'm hoping the tenants are more likely to clean up the tile if they had a handheld sprayer. The downside is they are likely to get water everywhere.

What do you guys think?

We "sprung" for epoxy grout in our home. I'll never use another grout type again.

It's definitely easier to do a little shower clean up with a sprayer. But I think it's more about the tenant than it is about having the sprayer.

 

[duneslider]

My experience as a tile contractor is that most homeowners don't clean their tile showers very well, renters will do even less.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I've got a 2 bathrooms in a rental renovation I need to purchase the shower heads and tub spouts for.

1. Dry pack mortar shower 36"x45". 45" curb. Not really decided on the glass door style yet.
2. 60" alcove bathtub - will probably do a shower curtain setup on this.

I reno'd my own apartment and installed just the wall mounted shower head and I didn't do handheld sprayers. I kind of regret that, b/c the sprayer would make clean-up of the tile and grout easier.

I'm hoping the tenants are more likely to clean up the tile if they had a handheld sprayer. The downside is they are likely to get water everywhere.

What do you guys think?

Handhelds should be standard.

 

[2Rocky]

I made a shower head goose neck at my last apt. so the shower head sits up higher. Worked great.

Makes me flash back to my first plumbing project....

 

[engineer2]

As said, most tenants won't bother cleaning the shower unless maybe it's a higher-end rental.
The other good use for them is for washing the dog, if you allow pets.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

Depends on the client. Wife wants handheld shower attachment for washing dog and children. If you have no issues attracting renters, go with the simplest to maintain solution. If you have trouble attracting renters, this could be a small selling point.

For my home, I removed the water conservation "strainer" (by drilling a drywall screw into the plastic and using that as leverage to remove it) and got about 20-25% faster fill rate.

 

[Zeke]

I am so glad I don’t own any rental properties and all the BS that comes with owning them.

Me too. I worked on a bunch for others. if you build renovations into your business model and don't care except for the money, it's not a bad investment. Me, I'd get too involved and want to build them out like jail cells.

 

[engineer2]

A relative managed rentals years ago. Some people don't know that you are supposed to clean. Others thought fighting and knocking holes in the walls was perfectly normal behavior. They had to run credit checks on EVERYBODY, even some of the sweetest nicest people that were employed had so much debt there was no way they could be expected to pay rent.

 

[75gmck25]

My last rental was to a married couple with absolutely stellar credit ratings for both of them. As part of the contract I planned state that it had water softener and they would agree to keep it filled with salt, but somehow that clause got left out of the final contract.

When I took possession about 14 months later I found they had bypassed the water softener completely (it had ball valves for maintenance) and never used any salt. This was in a family with small children and I'm sure they did multiple loads of wash and dishes every week. Why in the world would you want to live with hard water stains and white gunk on fixtures when it would have been so easy to have soft water?

 

[PoorUB]

Why in the world would you want to live with hard water stains and white gunk on fixtures when it would have been so easy to have soft water?

Because they didn't care as it wasn't their property!

I managed apartment buildings for a few years. I was so glad to get done with that part of my life and move on. People can be just stupid.

One tenant over flowed the bath tub two times. Had to do a minor remodel the bathroom below twice from water damage.

One gal begged to get out of her lease on the 15th. I told her if I could rent in for the half month I would. The day came and she wasn't moved, she changed her mind. I told her she had to get out as the apartment was rented. Next thing her dad was over talking to me about the deal, he couldn't understand why the middle of the month deal, until I explained it was her idea. She was out in a few hours.

3-4 guys living in a one bedroom and never clean anything. The place stunk like something had died.

Come home after work and could here loud music playing and it wasn't a stereo. Banged on the tenants door and they were having band practice, guitars, drums, singing, the whole deal. They didn't see the issue with it. You could hear them plain as day through the whole building. The person living under them was a bout to blow up!

People throwing their trash in the hallways. People paring randomly in the parking lot and blocking the way in and out.

Hand held shoower in a rental? Not on your life! If they want to put one in and take it out, fine. But a lot of tenants would have it ripped out of the wall, or some other way destroyed.

 

[nadogail]

Because they didn't care as it wasn't their property!

I managed apartment buildings for a few years. I was so glad to get done with that part of my life and move on. People can be just stupid.

One tenant over flowed the bath tub two times. Had to do a minor remodel the bathroom below twice from water damage.

One gal begged to get out of her lease on the 15th. I told her if I could rent in for the half month I would. The day came and she wasn't moved, she changed her mind. I told her she had to get out as the apartment was rented. Next thing her dad was over talking to me about the deal, he couldn't understand why the middle of the month deal, until I explained it was her idea. She was out in a few hours.

3-4 guys living in a one bedroom and never clean anything. The place stunk like something had died.

Come home after work and could here loud music playing and it wasn't a stereo. Banged on the tenants door and they were having band practice, guitars, drums, singing, the whole deal. They didn't see the issue with it. You could hear them plain as day through the whole building. The person living under them was a bout to blow up!

People throwing their trash in the hallways. People paring randomly in the parking lot and blocking the way in and out.

Hand held shoower in a rental? Not on your life! If they want to put one in and take it out, fine. But a lot of tenants would have it ripped out of the wall, or some other way destroyed.

I avoid crappy tenants by carefully screening the applicants. I show them an attractive place at a rent that is competitive with the market and provide them with the best possible service I am capable of.

I pull a credit check on each and every tenant who becomes a finalist in the selection process. I pay for those Credit Checks, I feel that it has been cheap insurance. Only once have I had to tell a tenant that our situation is not working out and I will not be entertaining renting to them when their lease is up.

 

[johninct]

My wife and I own 9 rental units and we manage/maintain 7 more owned by my sister. I would avoid the hand held shower heads as it is just that much more stuff for tenants to break. As for cleaning, we stress to our tenants that we expect the unit to be as clean when they leave as it was when they moved in. This rarely happens. Occasionally we will get a tenant that is a good housekeeper but most don't care.

They don't only break the hand held shower head, but will also break the pipe off at the wall so replace that pipe now too. And if they break stuff, you will want to wear boots because of how discusting that shower will be fron lack of cleaning.

 

[Viper98912]

I'm hoping the tenants are more likely to clean up the tile if they had a handheld sprayer

You need to re-think your entire rental strategy...

 

[kbuhagiar]

You need to re-think your entire rental strategy...

Over the years I've discovered that the quickest path to disappointment is expecting human nature to do the right thing.

 

[JRC3]

Yep.

Funny because a little over a year ago I helped one of my best friends reno a house they bought to be a rental. I gave them my knowledge of rentals and tenants and my biggest advice was first not to make anything personal about potential tenants. What I meant was only accept tenants by what they look like on paper and not what they say or a good feel you get from them. From the get go he and wife kept talking about applicants situations or reasons for short comings in background or finance. They finally settled on one but again took it too personal. Mostly it's all been good accept a cat (dogs OK for additional) was brought in and hidden on monthly visits to change furnace filter and last week someone used the toilet as a trashcan so the main needed snaked. This is in the lease as the tenants responsibility if they cause it but guess who lined up, met and paid the plumber.

Applicants/tenants will always be 100% understanding and knowledgeable of the lease until the minute they move in.

 

[nadogail]

My son owns a rental and the most destructive tenant he had was an employee of the place where they both worked, they were not connected to on the job but he was impressed by the fact that they both work for the same utility company.

 

[Fav Onefour]

Plan and build for the option of putting in a hand held.
Do a good drop ear mount in the wall and don't cheap out on the shower arm. With a good setup, you could swap shower heads over and over.
I have one tenant that lived in the place for years before the purchase. She casually mentioned that the "shower" was loose. She had physical struggles and someone tried to help by putting in a handheld combo thing on the existing stem. It was a good idea and she must have used the setup for years. The arm came through sheet rock above the enclosure and it had plenty of movement. I could see gobs of silicone and other forms of caulk around the arm. What I couldn't see were the cans of spray foam inside the wall. I opened up a fair amount of wall to fix that problem. The only support on the whole works was the stem valve assembly. The previous owner must have simply added more fill around the hole each time she mentioned the loose shower head.

Most of my emergency repair stuff is fixing someone else's crappy cheap repair.
@branimal , You have the perfect opportunity to build the behind the wall guts properly. Go with a basic shower head to start. Fancy cartridge systems are nice, but nothing breaks during business hours. Balancing valves have quite a few small plastic parts and seem to fail more often. I prefer to use simple valves with brass stems. I also put dang good shut off valves behind everything.

 

[Norcal]

Plan and build for the option of putting in a hand held.
Do a good drop ear mount in the wall and don't cheap out on the shower arm. With a good setup, you could swap shower heads over and over.
I have one tenant that lived in the place for years before the purchase. She casually mentioned that the "shower" was loose. She had physical struggles and someone tried to help by putting in a handheld combo thing on the existing stem. It was a good idea and she must have used the setup for years. The arm came through sheet rock above the enclosure and it had plenty of movement. I could see gobs of silicone and other forms of caulk around the arm. What I couldn't see were the cans of spray foam inside the wall. I opened up a fair amount of wall to fix that problem. The only support on the whole works was the stem valve assembly. The previous owner must have simply added more fill around the hole each time she mentioned the loose shower head.

Most of my emergency repair stuff is fixing someone else's crappy cheap repair.
@branimal , You have the perfect opportunity to build the behind the wall guts properly. Go with a basic shower head to start. Fancy cartridge systems are nice, but nothing breaks during business hours. Balancing valves have quite a few small plastic parts and seem to fail more often. I prefer to use simple valves with brass stems. I also put dang good shut off valves behind everything.

I have started ordering shower valves with built in stops, not having to shut off all the water to a building to service the valve is great.

 

[Fav Onefour]

I have started ordering shower valves with built in stops, not having to shut off all the water to a building to service the valve is great.

I'd agree that method works too. I have a few of those installed in bath locations without back panel access. To be honest, I'm glad those are an option. I have one bath location where the backside is sixteen feet off the floor on a nice smooth foyer wall. It's not a good location to work or to have an obtrusive access panel.
You also bring up a point that I may not have made clear. Use some form of shut off valve setup for individual points so you don't have to shut down the whole place each time you need to do repairs or updates. That little extra step will save so much hassle down the road.

Ironically, I just went through a common repair scenario this week. - One renter in a six unit.
The initial call came in at 8pm for a "leaky" shower. (I get a kick out of some descriptions I hear. This one was a full running valve on the hot side in the shower.) The renter tried to shut off the valve with some tool leverage and twisted off the stem. I was able to shut off that water until I could get parts the next morning. After completing that repair, I checked the water heater and it wouldn't relight. It had one of those dang Rheem/Smith valve assemblies with the goofy thermal fuses. Those buggers are a nightmare because it initially looks like a bad thermocouple. In the end I replaced the whole valve assembly with the updated version.
That whole scenario took time and required more than one water shut down. Individual valves will save your **** and make life easier.