Creaky Hardwood Floors in Rental

[Wale Dada]

In the process of converting my primary residence into a rental property and thinking of the repair items that will make the property most appealing to tenants. A personal peeve of mine are the original hardwood floors that came with the house (detached 1,100 SF single family built in the 1960s) ... they creak loudly even when you tiptoe! 

So I'm debating: do I replace the entire thing with new OSB subfloor and new vinyl plank flooring (contractor estimate of $6K) or is there an alternative fix that is more affordable but significantly dampens the creaking?

Looking forward to your thoughts BP family!

[Jon K.]

Honestly, this won't be an issue. A pet peeve of yours doesn't translate into an issue for a tenant, nor is a "creaky floor" something you'd be obligated to fix if a tenant asked you to. Floors creak. Fluorescent lights buzz. Plumbing and HVAC may sometimes make weird sounds in the walls. That's just houses for you.  There is zero return on putting any money into a "fix" for those sorts of things. Don't forget that it won't be your home any more so what you expect/want isn't necessarily what a tenant expects/wants. You lived there for how long with those creaky floors and you're not considering "fixing" them until now? A tenant will live there just the same because no one expects otherwise in a house built 60 years ago.

Your money is better spent elsewhere. Initial rehab/repairs/cosmetics and then maintenance.