Unless your bathroom is on par with an outhouse off the old ’49er Trail or today’s typical interstate rest stop, you needn’t bother lifting anything except for a paint brush. As long as the plumbing works and the outlets and fixtures won’t electrocute the occupants, it’s not worth your money to have somebody else defecating and spitting all over your newly-renovated bathroom.
The same rule of thumb applies to bathrooms as to kitchens: Make sure that the bathroom appears clean and that all of the knobs, switches and plugs work. But by all means, if you have the skills necessary to perform most of the work and it won’t cost you more than a few dollars to upgrade a few items – such as a new faucet, sturdy towel rack or perhaps a new light – go ahead and make your prospective tenant’s day! Otherwise, just be a friendly landlord and make sure your tenants don’t travel too far back in time when they go in and depreciate your bathroom while enjoying their favorite reading material…