Area Around Shower

[Jared Schroeder]

Hi,

My wife and I just bought our first rental house. It looks great and have a tenant lined up. We were redoing the caulking around the bathtub/shower and noticed right at the end of the tub on the floor, it is squishy. Looks like it gets wet there whenever the shower is used. The bathroom is carpeted, so I am unsure of what's going on underneath. From underneath, it seems ok. Not like there is a hole or anything, but just wondering what you guys thought? Is there any way to keep the water from getting out? The shower curtain only goes to the front of the tub where it starts curving, so water is splashing out on the floor. The shower in my residence is a walk in shower, so I have never had to deal with this issue. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[Marcia Maynard]

Remove the carpet and assess the damage. Then repair the damage and choose new flooring.

Flooring in a bathroom needs to hold up to water. Laminate is not a good choice for this reason. Instead, do tile or vinyl. You can even do vinyl plank flooring that looks like wood if it is the 100% waterproof click together type.

We've tried the splash guards and from our experience they do not work well. They do not stay secured and require re-attachment and/or re-caulking periodically. They also give the tenants a false sense that the splash guards are all that is needed.

To prevent excess water from getting out of the tub, talk with tenants about using a shower curtain liner inside the tub in addition to the decorative one that goes outside the tub. Address this in the rental agreement.

This is what we have in our Property Rules addendum:

"SHOWER CURTAINS/DOORS: When using the shower, Tenant agrees to make appropriate use of the shower curtains or doors, to keep shower water and spray inside the tub surround.Tenant agrees to take action to prevent water from getting out onto the floor and walls, where it could cause damage. If not fitted with a shower door, a shower curtain and shower liner must be used.To properly use, place shower curtain liner inside the tub and decorative shower curtain outside of the tub while showering."