Fall is drawing near! It’s the time of year when you are beginning to wonder, where did the time go? The busy leasing months are almost over. Fewer tenants are moving and the rain clouds and falling leaves have moved into the neighborhoods.
In the property management industry, every season is full of its own unique challenges. Each has its own checklist of maintenance and tasks that has to be completed. Fall is no exception.
1. Clean the Gutters
For the moment, the majority of the leaves are staying on the trees, but everyone knows that it won’t be long before they start covering our yards, porches, roofs, and filling the gutters. Clogged gutters have been known to cause leaks. Property managers and landlords need to remember to get this essential maintenance done within the next month.
2. Winterize Your Outside Plumbing
This would be a good time to deal with winterizing your exterior faucets and the rest of the outdoor plumbing. Nobody likes dealing with burst pipes in the dead of winter. Disconnect your hoses and store them. Fill gaps around the spigots, and either shut off the water and drain them, or insulate them until Spring.
3. Turn off and drain the sprinkler system
It’s time to shut down and drain the sprinkler systems and prepare for cold weather. Lack of water is not going to be a problem for a long time. The last thing a tenant need in the dead of winter is a cracked or burst sprinkler pipes.
4. Landscaping/Lawn Care
Just becuase it’s Fall doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep up with your lawn maintenance. In fact, with the weather the way it is, landscaping just became even more important. Everything is alive and growing. The landlords and property managers with vacancies are encouraged to stay caught up if they want to maintain their current level of curb appeal. This will become ever more important as the leaves continue to fall. Autumn wouldn’t be as lovely as it is without those multi-colored falling leaves.
5. Winterize the Exterior
The time has come to winterize your exterior. Drain the sprinklers, installed faucet covers, and place heating cables on the water sprigs, and make sure the drains are cleared. No tenant want to wake in the morning after a cold snap to find a burst pipe.
Properly preparing your rental property for winter will protect your investments and minimize any potential damage, as well as the chance of receiving midnight emergency calls. Landlords and property manager, you’ll sleep better at night knowing it’s done, as will your tenants.
Happy Landlording!