Nobody wants to spend the night awake because of the leaking water noise or the fear of unchanged locks rendering you unable to sleep, especially if you have just moved in.

The question of whether to upgrade certain items or fully replace them with new ones is one that most of us face when moving into a new house.

Here we have a list of the 4 most important things you should consider fixing or replacing, irrespective of their condition.

Items you need to replace or upgrade

Toilet

The reason the toilet is on top of the list of must-fix items on the list is because a leaking toilet will continuous leak, not just a recurring issue. You may be able to put a stop to the dripping faucets and showers by not using them at all or plugging them with a shower diverter, but you simply can’t do anything about a leaking toilet, especially if its 24/7.

Don’t get us wrong – we aren’t suggesting a complete renovation; we are suggesting to “Gut” the toilet by upgrading or replacing the existing toilet system.

Still unsure? Just Google the “FluidMaster Toilet Repair Kit” and get started before the toilet leakage drains you out of all your money!

Locks

Always change the locks when moving into a new house. You don’t know who had ownership of the key before, and whoever did might still have held onto some as spares. For your own peace of mind, it’s better to change the locks even if they are fully functional.

Light Bulbs 

If you want to reduce your electricity bill and save yourself the hassle of making “Would you please come and change the light bulb?” calls, it is better that you opt for long-lasting energy-efficient lights, especially in main areas such as hallways. These energy saves last up to 9 years and are also more cost-efficient.

Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers

Installing a new smoke alarm or a fire extinguisher will ensure you don’t have to be concerned in this regard for the next several years. If you are using battery-operated fire extinguishers, you will have to change the batteries once every year obviously. Don’t rely on your tenants to change the batteries each year – do it yourself.  Consider this an opportunity to observe how well your tenants keep your rental property maintained.