The math
A mid-grade carpet installed in a two-bedroom unit lasts a tenancy or two before stains, odor and wear force replacement. A 20-mil vinyl plank floor installed once lasts many tenancies and is repaired a plank at a time. The up-front cost is higher; by the second turnover it is cheaper, and the unit shows better in listings every time.
What tenants do to floors
Water: spilled, tracked in, dishwasher and washing machine leaks, pet accidents. Scratches: furniture dragged in and out twice a year, dog nails. Dents: dropped pans, moved appliances. Odor: carpet holds it; hard floors do not. Choose for those four and you have chosen vinyl plank.
The product
Rigid-core, SPC, 20-mil wear layer minimum, matte mid-tone finish, attached pad or a sound underlayment. Avoid glossy and very dark colors that show every mark, and very light colors that show every stain. Choose a line that will exist in five years from a major manufacturer, standardize it across your units and keep two boxes of attic stock per unit.
Upstairs units
Many Tacoma and Lakewood buildings, and most condominium associations, require a minimum impact sound rating for hard floors in upper units. Specify an underlayment that meets it, keep the documentation, and the complaints from downstairs do not arrive.
Basement units
Tacoma's North End and Stadium District basements are a big part of the rental stock. Vinyl plank over a vapor barrier after a slab moisture test; never laminate or carpet below grade.
Turnover scheduling
A one-bedroom is a day; a two-bedroom, two. Set per-unit pricing up front with the installer so each turnover is a phone call, and schedule the floor between the move-out clean and the painter.
Deposits and repairs
Photograph the floor at move-in and move-out. With attic stock, the installer can provide a written per-plank repair quote within days, which supports a deposit deduction far better than a replacement estimate for the whole room.
