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Prepare Your Rental Homes for the Winter Season

Prepare Your Rental Homes for the Winter Season

The changing seasons and the cooling weather remind us that the winter season will arrive soon. Before it does, there are a few important maintenance tasks that you should be aware of to protect your rental properties from the cold weather. By completing these tasks, your rental properties will be ready to endure whatever the season brings.

RPM of Greater Gwinnett Winter Hacks 

Sprinkler Systems and Garden Hoses

One imperative way to prepare for the winter season is to drain and shut off your sprinkler system. Blowing out the system will protect it from any potential damage caused by frozen and burst water lines. Exterior faucets must be properly drained, covered and shut off before the first freeze arrives, because they could crack or burst. Also detach, drain, and store garden hoses in warmer places to keep them ready for spring weather.

Freezing Pipes

If any of your rental homes have pipes that run through cold basements, crawlspaces, attics, or garages, it’s important to keep them from freezing as well. A simple way to do that is to wrap them with foam covers or insulate them heat tape. By taking the time to prevent frozen pipes, you just might save yourself an expensive repair bill (and a flooded basement) at the worst possible time. You should also consider requiring that your residents to keep the properties at a temperature of at least 58 degrees during freezing nights.

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A/C or Swamp Cooling Units

Preparing for winter also means shutting down and covering the rental home’s A/C or swamp cooling unit. Covering the unit keeps it from leaking freezing air back into the house. It also protects the unit itself from damage caused by severe winter storms. This is an important task that you should finish before the temperatures decrease.

Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Now is also a good time to check and replace the batteries in all the property’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Changing the batteries in all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors every six months is an important way to ensure the safety of your rental homes and your residents.

Snow and Ice

Lastly a good way to keep your residents safe is to make sure you’re prepared for icy walkways and steps by providing ice melt and keeping it accessible. When the temperatures dip below freezing, you know you’re going to need it, so you should start preparing now. Remind renters of their obligation to keep walkways and sidewalks clear of snow and ice as well. The local Lawrenceville Home Depot offers various ice melt products that are recommended for purchase. You can take a look for yourself at https://www.homedepot.com/s/ice%2520melt?NCNI-5 for the Winter season approaching.

Real Property Management of Greater Gwinnett Can Help

While these tasks are all important ways to winterize your rental homes, there’s no need to do it all yourself. The professionals at Real Property Management are your rental property winterization experts. We can take care of these and other important seasonal maintenance tasks for you while you are free to enjoy the best of this season. To learn more, please contact your nearest Real Property Management office.

To contact us please visit https://www.rpmgwinnett.com/contact-us.

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