Man-made polypropylene carpets are the solution, they are highly cleanable, and you can even use a mix of bleach and water if needed. On the other hand, wool carpets are not suitable as they are more difficult to keep clean in a rental situation, and stains will need to be professionally cleaned. Wool carpets are also more expensive. When selecting your carpet, choose a short pile, twist or loop/berber.

Carpets come in widths of 4 metre or 5 metre, this is important. A lot of retailers will only provide carpets in a 4-metre width, this can result in a more expensive quote, unnecessary wastage and potentially needless joins in the carpet. A reputable company will be trying to estimate, and plan based on using the least amount of carpet overall.

Choose neutral colours, with a heather or fleck effect, not too light so they show every mark, not too dark to make the room feel small and less appealing.

Carpets come in woven back and some also in felt back. Felt back means that you can lay with or without a separate underlay. No, they don’t feel as nice as carpets with underlay, but it helps to keep the overall cost down.

There are some excellent hard-wearing vinyls, suitable for bathrooms and kitchens but also for hallways. The subfloor may need some work; screed, board or fibre board. These are all services that we offer.

A reasonable quality laminate will wear well. The install and finish are important; expansion gaps, fitting under skirting or with scotia, laminate specific underlay, all need to be thought through. It is not suitable for areas where you will find water, the enemy of laminate, so it is recommended that you stick to vinyl in kitchens and bathrooms. You can purchase water resistant laminate, however this is typically not at the right price point for rental properties.

Give serious consideration to installing a mat well at any external doors. A coir mat will last for years, and it will help extend the life of any flooring as it helps keep dirt and mud out.

The overall service you receive is important, you will want to be working with a company who can use their initiative, and who don’t mind doing some of the running around on your behalf. Choose a company that can provide free estimates including those for insurance purposes, pick up and return keys, liaise directly with your tenants to arrange access, work with decorators or other contractors to get fitting dates arranged, whilst being flexible and responsive enough so that you’re not leaving a property off the market or empty because you’re waiting on the flooring. Finally, not forgetting an invoice, you will need one for your records and accounts and a payment method to suit you i.e. BACS, cheque, debit or credit card.

All of this can be provided by Carpetwise, an independent flooring retailer with a bricks and mortar premises. Established in 1993, we have many years of experience and can provide advice and assistance in helping you select the flooring most appropriate for you. Overall, flooring should be appropriately priced, not just the cost per square metre but the total job cost which is ultimately what it will cost you. Watch out for hidden extras, see our bullet pointed checklist.

We work in and around the Milton Keynes area, roughly a 15-mile radius from the shop. Outside of this location, contact your local independent flooring retailer for further help and advice.