The upcoming Saturday (September 21st) marks the end of summer and beginning of fall. It’s the time of year when you look back across the months and wonder, where did they go? The busy leasing months are almost over, fewer tenants are moving, and the rain clouds have moved into the area.
In the property management industry, every season is different. Each has its checklist of maintenance and tasks that has to be completed. Fall is no exception.
1. Clean the Gutters
As of now, leaves are staying on the trees, but it won’t be long before they start covering our yards, roofs, and filling the gutters. Clogged gutters can cause leaks. Property managers and landlords need to remember to get this essential maintenance done within the next month or so.
2. Winterize Your Outside Plumbing
This is a good time to deal with winterizing your exterior faucets and the rest of the outdoor plumbing. Nobody likes dealing with burst pipes. Disconnect outdoor hoses and store them. Fill gaps around the spigots, and either shut off the water and drain them, or insulate them until spring.
Around this time of year, Empire provides the tenants with outdoor foam faucet covers. Also, as soon as the first cold snap hits, we send out an email with detailed instruction as to what they need to do to avoid cold weather damage to the rental.
3. Turn Off and Drain the Sprinkler System
After this last torrential downpour, it’s time to shut down and drain the sprinkler systems, preparing them for cold weather. Lack of water is not going to a problem for a long time.
4. Landscaping/Lawn Care
Just because it’s fall doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep up on the landscaping. In fact, with Oregon’s weather the way it is, the landscaping just became even more important. Everything is now alive and growing. Those landlords and property managers with vacancies need to stay caught up if they want to maintain their current level of curb appeal. This will become even more important as the leaves start to fall. Autumn wouldn’t be as beautiful as it is without those multi-colored falling leaves, and raking them up is just part of our job.
Properly preparing your rental property for winter protects your investment and minimizes potential damage, as well as the chances of receiving midnight emergency calls. Landlord or property manager, you’ll sleep better at night when it’s done, and so will your tenants.
Happy Landlording!