Are Your Rentals Ready For Spring?

With spring right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about seasonal maintenance for your rental properties.  This time of year lends itself perfectly to inspect and maintain your property to ensure it is functioning efficiently and safely.   It is important to complete certain home maintenance tasks each season to prevent structural damage, save energy, and keep the property’s systems running properly.  Springtime maintenance, cleaning, servicing, and landscaping will keep your investment property looking good and your tenants happy.

Spring maintenance begins with an inspection of your rental property.  Seasonal inspections allow you to ensure lease compliance and asses the property for any needed repairs. An inspection can give you a chance to offer helpful pointers to your tenants about things they could be doing differently to take better care of the unit (remind them that proper care will help them get their security deposit back when they vacate).   Inspect the interior and exterior of the property to make sure everything is in great condition.

Spring clean your property by polishing the exterior before the summer time heat makes extraneous water use irresponsible.  Check for areas that could use a good power-washing and clear out gutters that might have gotten cluttered from winter storms.  A simple exterior cleaning can breathe new life into your property.  You should remind your tenants to check for mold that can build up in the winter from interior humidity and offer solutions on simple ways to eradicate the issue.

Spring servicing – It is the perfect time to check your property’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.  After working hard to keep your tenants warm in the winter, servicing the property’s HVAC system will prevent expensive repairs due to neglect and help keep your tenants comfortable during the upcoming warmer seasons.  Make sure the air conditioning unit is in good working order, clean or replace filters, and remove build up on fans and forced airways.  Some landlords require their tenants to replace their own filters every few months, and a spring inspection will help remind them to do so if the task was forgotten.

Spring Landscaping can include lawn aeration, overseeding, fertilization, and pruning of shrubs or trees. Mowing and weeding your grass now will help you stay on top of any sudden growth that takes place when the weather warms up.  Early spring is also a great time for pruning flowering trees and fruit trees since they will start budding soon.    Now is the time to start thinking about landscape management; planting annuals right now is a low maintenance way to give a dash of color to a yard and increase your property’s curb appeal.

A newsletter or email reminder is an easy way to contact your tenants about spring inspections and  provide them with tips for how they can get ready for spring.