Being a property manager is a thankless job where you find yourself always busy with either the upkeep and repairs or dealing with the problems of tenants. In addition to marketing, tenant screening, and rent collection, you also need to prepare the property according to changing seasons. If your property is located in an area that experiences cold conditions during winter season, it is necessary for you to make your property winter ready to prevent additional expenses on repairs after winter. Here are some tips to easily prepare your property for the harsh winter months. By taking these steps, you can keep your property comfortable for the tenants and also save money spent on heating.
Arrange emergency kits for tenants
Power outage after severe storms and snowfall is common phenomenon in many places. Make sure that every tenant has an emergency kit to be ready for all situations in case of foul weather. It is not your responsibility really so you can ask tenants to pay for the items in the emergency kit. You can certainly help in arranging all these items that include a flashlight, batteries, water bottle, candles, matchbox, power bank, and evacuation plan in an emergency, and so on.
Get the heating unit serviced in time
It is a good idea to get the heating unit serviced during fall to be ready for the cold winter nights. It can be very problematic to get the heating unit repaired when a tenant complains during chilly winter season. If there is any delay in repair of heating system, it causes great inconvenience for the tenant.
Plug all air leaks through windows and doors
Leakage of air is a big problem in apartment buildings, especially in places where lots of money is spent on keeping interiors warm during winter months. It is a good idea to inspect all doors and windows when it is not so cold and get the leaks plugged in time to prevent loss of hot air. You need to call in experts to carry out window treatment to insulate the interiors. Making your units habitable and comfortable for your tenants is appreciated by your tenants and they are ready to cooperate in this endeavor. You also need to make sure that cold air coming from outside does not make the interiors cold. This is possible with the help of draft stoppers that close the doors instantly after they are opened for the movement of human beings.
Make the fans move in reverse direction
The blades of a ceiling fan, if made to rotate in a reverse direction, help in making the area inside the room warm instead of cooling it. Call in an experienced electrician to make changes in switches so that ceiling fan blades rotate in reverse direction when switched on. Reversing the direction of blades forces air upwards rather than downwards. It makes the ambience warm and comfortable for your tenants.
Inspect smoke detectors
This is very important for all property managers. Winter season is full of holidays and Christmas celebrations often involve fireworks as well as special lighting. A little mistake can easily lead to a big disaster in no time at all. Therefore, you need to make sure that all smoke detectors are working properly so as to prevent any fire caused by short circuit or lighting.
Install smart thermostats to control electricity bills
Winter season is horrific in terms of electricity bills because of all the energy required for the working of heating units. If you have smart thermostats installed in all the units, you can save a lot of electricity that is used to keep the indoors warm and comfortable.
If you’d like to talk more about property management, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty.
As a top producing Realtor and Property Manager; Terry specializes in sales, extensive construction homes, rentals, REO’s, short sales, and all aspects of Real Estate. After graduating the University of Michigan with a master in MBA, Terry continued his endeavor and now has over 15+ years of experience in the Real Estate world. If there is anything that has to do with Real Estate and sales, you can always be sure of Terry to provide important, specialized knowledge.
