Rental season is here – is your ventilation ready for guests?

With a growing number of families owning rental properties or being part of a service like Airbnb there are always things to take care of. Is the rental clean, did anything break, when are the next guests coming and so forth. Then there are things that are not as much at the forefront of our minds but could have an impact. One of these is the ventilation in the rental. Yes, we are talking about the exhaust fans in the bathrooms. Now before you just tune this out with an “Are you kidding me” hear us out on this one.

We have already addressed the importance of proper ventilation within a home and especially in the bathrooms in some of our previous posts. Now we want to apply that to a rental property. It’s just a fact that most people are not going to take care of the place they are renting as well as if it were their own home (for those who do – thank you!). That means things like exhaust fans probably are not going to be used to their fullest potential – as in they won’t be turned on. This can lead to problems such as mold, mildew, or moisture damage in and around the shower. No one wants to have to spend extra time and money cleaning or repairing something that could be avoided.

Here are a few things to consider on how to combat the issue:

NOTE: All electrical work must be done in accordance with all local and national codes. If you are unsure, hire a licensed electrician to do the work.

1. Add a motion sensor (or occupancy sensor) to control the exhaust fan. There are models that have this function integrated into the unit or you can add this feature as a wall switch. This will ensure that the exhaust fan turns on each time someone enters the bathroom.
2. If it is a fan/light combination, wire the light and the fan together. This way every time the light is turned on, the fan will also be turned on. This can usually be done very easily even after the fan is installed.
3. Add a humidity control to the fan. As with the motion sensor, there are many exhaust fans that have this function built in but there are also wall controls that can easily be added to most installations such as the Air King DH55.
4. Install a dual speed fan. These fans have a low speed that runs continuously, providing constant ventilation. The high speed provides ventilation when the bathroom is in use. A wall switch or a built-in humidity and/or motion sensor can control this.
5. Think about installing a larger CFM exhaust fan. While the general rule of thumb is 1 CFM of exhaust per square foot, this is a minimum, not a maximum. Generally, rentals are going to be used a little harder than normal living. Instead of an 80 CFM fan for your 80 square foot bathroom, a 100 CFM fan will be more effective. You don’t need to go crazy, but something in the 10% to 20% extra ventilation should do the trick.

With so many other things to be concerned with on your rental property, why not eliminate one of them by ensuring your bathrooms are properly ventilated. Happy renting.