With the turkey leftovers eaten and the holiday decorations hung, you know it’s time to prepare for winter.
What does that mean for you? Big blankets maybe, cozy socks, and a fire in the fireplace.
What does it mean for your Lakewood rental home?
Hopefully, you’re thinking about seasonal maintenance and planning to prepare your investment for the coming cold weather and potential snow and ice. We’re hardly known for our mild winters in Colorado.
Expect cold temperatures, freezing winds, and more than a fair share of snow and ice.
Don’t wait until we’re under several feet of snow to begin making the necessary preparations. Seasonal maintenance protects the value and condition of your property, and it also shows your residents that you care about their comfort and the maintenance of your property.
Checking the Furnace and the Heat
The furnace at your rental property will be working overtime in the winter, so you need to inspect and service that heating unit if you want to get through the cold months without desperate calls from residents about the heat not working.
To prepare your furnace for winter, turn on the thermostat and make sure it’s functioning the way it should. Change the air filters and have an experienced technician clean the heat exchanger and the blower motor. If you have a chimney and a carbon monoxide detector, you’ll want to check those too.
Inspect Your Lakewood Rental Home’s Roof
The roof is responsible for a lot, and it needs some routine maintenance and regular inspections. You’ll need that roof to not only survive the winter but also to hold any snow, water, ice, and wind that arrives.
Annual and seasonal maintenance on your roof can end up saving you thousands of dollars. It’s so much easier to replace a few shingles than it is to replace an entire roof. Keep this in mind when a roofer recommends that updates be made.
Before the snow begins to pile up, get a professional onto your roof to take a look. You want to make sure there isn’t any damage, and you also want to make sure there’s no chance that water can seep inside.
Invest in a roof inspector or a licensed roofing company. They will look for loose, damaged or missing shingles that need replacing. It’s also a good idea to inspect the chimney flashing as well as any vents that may invite leaks. Patch up anything that needs work and enjoy the peace of mind that your roof is in good shape for the winter.
Are your gutters clear of leaves, debris, sticks, and dirt? This also needs to be part of your roof maintenance and rental home winterization. Doesn’t it seem like the winter arrives earlier every year, and lasts longer? That gives the gutters a lot of time to gather stuff that doesn’t need to be there. When your gutters become clogged, you run the risk of attracting pests and pushing water into the property. That’s going to lead to bigger and more expensive problems.
You also want to eliminate the risk of ice dams. If you didn’t clean your gutters out in the spring, do them now.
Double-check the insulation in your home’s attic too, because that will help with energy costs through the winter.
Irrigation and Lakewood Winter Home Maintenance
If you’re using sprinklers outside or other irrigation systems, they’ll need some attention before winter arrives as well.
Remove the hoses from any of your outside spigots.
Then, turn the spigots off completely to prevent freezing.
Prevent outside pipes from freezing with adequate insulation.
When it comes to caring for the exterior of your property during the winter, you have to know your property. If you’ve been renting it out for many winters, you probably know where your biggest challenges will be. Address those issues right away and then take a preventative approach to anything that needs attention.
Does your rental property have a pool? Make sure you contract with a pool company to come and drain the water. Then, have the pool covered and marked as off limits until the spring.
Prepare for who will do the snow shoveling as well. It should be in your lease agreement whether the resident is responsible or the landlord or some third party. If you’re renting out a home in an HOA, find out what they take care of.
Educate Your Residents on Seasonal Maintenance
As the property owner, it’s your responsibility to keep the property safe and habitable throughout the winter. That’s why preventative maintenance is so important all year long. However, you’ll want to remind your residents of their responsibilities and make sure they’re educated on how to handle some of the things that may come up.
If residents are planning to be away from the home during the winter months, make sure they’re keeping the heat set at 55 degrees. You don’t want them turning it off entirely, otherwise your pipes are sure to freeze in their absence.
Your residents should also understand that you want to be notified right away if there’s a problem at the home. You don’t want deferred and unreported maintenance to stretch out through the winter. Problems will only grow more complicated and more expensive with time.
Provide tips to your residents on keeping themselves safe. Icicles can be incredibly sharp and should be removed from the property and trees whenever possible. You want your residents to be careful walking outside on the steps and driveways.
The best time to prepare for winter is during the summer and the autumn. You don’t want to be rushing to service the heating unit and the sprinkler system when the snow is already falling.
If you need some help preparing your Lakewood rental home for the winter or you’re looking for specific advice that’s unique to your property, we’d love to help you. Please contact us at PURE Property Management of Colorado, Lakewood property management experts serving residential landlords in West Denver and the surrounding areas, including Littleton, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and more.
