Weather-Proofing Must-haves For Your Rental Property
Your rental property deserves the utmost attention, especially during the stormy seasons. You would normally care for the upkeep of your lawn, minor tenant issues related to plumbing, and maintain a safe structure for your renters. The same goes when preparing for a storm. You must keep a safe, secure, and well-manicured property at all times. Here are some tips to consider before a disaster strikes.
Tenant Preparation
Your tenants should already have knowledge of what category storm lies around the corner, and they will probably have a plan in action. But it’s still your job as the landlord to inform them about the safety rules. Even though we live in a relatively technical time period, you must inform your tenants that the storm could interfere with temporary outages for water and power. They will most likely be prepared with the food and water essentials, but it’s best to overly prepare should power outages be longer than expected. Throughout the duration of the storm, you’ll want to keep in contact with your tenants. Send text messages or emails or make phone calls, weather permitting.
Property Prep is in Order
As the owner of the property, even when you have a rental agency, you need to keep tabs on the safety of the grounds. This means paying attention to weak shutters, faulty structure, and any objects that can easily be swept up with gusts of strong winds. Your tenants need to be informed of the preparation, especially if it means they will experience minor set-backs such as lot blockage and elevator maintenance. Remove AC units from all buildings, bring in grills, potted plants, and out-door décor. Clear gutters and drains from debris and blockages, and check for broken or damaged hurricane shutters. Property preparation may be an inconvenience to your tenants, but it will benefit them in the long run. If they complain or seem uneasy to get along with during the prep, you and your rental agency can solve the problem by reassuring the facts around a safe and practical hurricane preparation.
Record your preparation
Most importantly, while you’re preparing and securing your property, back up any insurance claim files to a software program so they are not lost should an outage occur. All insurance records or forms should be safely stored to any backup computer drive to cover all property damages and tenants issues when the storm subsides.
Be Aware of Storm Zones
Each city within your area will have a flood zone and this can be found on a regional map in categories from 1 to 3, 3 being a high risk area. Some storm zones have housing properties that reside on a hill, which greatly reduces your risk of flooding. As the landlord, if flooding has been a problem in the past you can eliminate the problem by using sandbags to line the perimeter of your homes or building. Talk to your local rental management specialist to find out more about flood zones.
Generator Usage
Your tenants will need (and expect) to use the basic essentials during the storm- water, showers, bathroom, etc. It is important to get a backup generator for your building or rental home to prevent troubles with your tenants.
If you are considering renting your home or you need assistance with weather-proofing your property, the best resources lie with your rental management team. They not only handle the basics in and around your property; they will supply only essential information to get your property storm-ready. Contact your local management specialist today for details and legalities that will save you time and keep your tenants comfortable.