Gotta paint the entire interior after long term tenant move out. Had a dog, bless her heart and after move out, Daisy is still very much there. I know about cleaning HVAC, am getting a major update with 2 new bathrooms, floors, and cabinets/counters. Reading the internet and talking to one trusted contractor it seems an oil based primer is definitely needed to completely get rid of Daisy. Speaking with a very experienced painter who has done many renovations for another landlord, using a good water based primer and paint will seal up and remove all odors just fine. What do some of you think?

The contractor knows more than the painter.

But first, use Odor Xit or a similar product to remove as much smell as possible.

Smells are stronger when the rent stops.

I agree with DJ. Pull up any carpeting and padding which will remove most of the smell. Then I just used OdorXit where needed, cleaned, and repainted. This removed all of the smell on a house I purchased which had 4 large dogs.

Brian,

Primer does not stop odor long term. The stink molecules are smaller than the paint molecules and will work thru.

Summer humidity brings out the stink.

Oil base Zinsser BIN is our choice AFTER removing the odor to hold back any leftovers.

Don't try to clean carpet or drapes. Remove them. It's cheaper than all the work to rid the odor.

We start with scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing, then Odor X It. If that does not work advance to Chlorine Dioxide activated with citrus powder - is what slaughter houses use. (Amazon)

Bleach does not kill odor. It helps clean and makes your nose forget the smells but does not remove odor.

THIS is why we do the 2 Minute In Home Visit prior to final approval and have no animal odors - we SMELLED their current home and animals.

BRAD

The tough smells and stains are covered best with shellac based BIN. They are proud of it tho. Last I knew it was over $400 for a five gallon pail. It smells bad while applying but dries fast and flat. (it is thin and thus messy to apply as well)

Do a search on here and read about the things it helped with.

I clean with Awesome brand cleaner. I use a mop and hit the floors, walls and even ceilings if they were smokers.

Then I use OdorXit. I mix it in a garden sprayer and just coat everything that I can.

There have been times when that didn't quite do it and I went to the shellac BIN (use the original, not the man made stuff). I had one area that I couldn't stop the smell. Finally figured out that the 'smell' had gone behind one baseboard. I pulled it off, painted it and the wall with the BIN and all was good in the world again.

Brother-in-law bought a rental that the pet urine smell was still bad after various treatments he finally replaced the floors and some walls.

I am not advocating for an animal free property. I allow them and they pay me extra per month for the privilege.

Seeing their current place makes a big difference. That is what your place will smell like in a few months.

If you are still wary then make a plan to go see the property a little more often until you figure out if they are good or not.

Just a quick Gemini search provided this result:

In Kansas, approximately 62.8% of households own at least one pet, making it one of the higher pet-owning states in the country.

Well, it is more information than I initially intended to share but I agree with Brad's method of knowing who is coming into the place as tenant. In 20 years I have never had this problem before but I did a 1031 exchange when I relocated and this was a full duplex which I wanted and the best one available at the time. So I inherited this tenant. It was already in this condition when I purchased it so I knew it was coming but now am dealing with it. Tenant selection, overall property condition, and regular inspections have worked very well for me. Which is why I do not want lingering odor. I plan to change the environment more to my typical tenant expectations. Thanks again to all. You have helped from time to time over the years.