An Effective Guide to Winterizing Your Rental Property While Occupied

Winterizing your property is a major undertaking and can be made even more complicated if you have tenants already living on the premises. That said, it is still doable and necessary for the comfort of the renters and the integrity of the property. Before you begin, you can set up a plan in steps on what tasks to handle to ensure you don't miss out on anything. 

The tasks include;

1. Notifying renters of the intended winterization project — Use various communication methods to ensure everybody is aware of the intended undertaking and the set time and dates. These include texts, emails, phone calls, and even in-person visits. 

2. Evaluating the property for minor repairs — E.g., Cracked walkways, damaged windows, broken installations, and more. Remember that some of these installations are instrumental in keeping the cold out.  

3. Inspection by licensed HVAC professionals — Their work is to check the heating systems and furnace area to ascertain they're in tip-top working condition and to repair if necessary. 

4. Working with a landscaper on the following — Keeping trees and branches trimmed, raking fallen leaves, cutting back dead growth, and preparing plants for winter. 

5. Unhooking hoses — This is so that the water doesn't freeze and burst the pipes. Also, drain pipes not in use can be filled with non-toxic anti-freeze.

6. Installing gutter guards — These prevent interference of water flow from debris and also save on cleaning time afterward.

7. Weatherstripping window sills and doors — For this, caulking in all air penetration gaps prevents cold air from leaking in.

8. Install a programmable thermostat — With this in the house, residents don't have to do much to keep temperatures bearable and living conditions comfortable. 

9. Encourage tenants to open kitchen and bathroom cabinets — This allows heat circulating in the house to radiate around pipes.

For any of the above tasks that may require using a professional, you'll need to sanitize the premises before and after working on it. Also, a healthy distance between the contracted individual, yourself, and the residents in the house may help keep everybody safe from Covid-19. 

The work may also be a bit much for you to handle if you have multiple rented units or have other projects to take care of. However, hiring a property management service to handle the work is not out of the question either. After all, they can easily handle and manage all these tasks and provide you with the finished result. Whatever you choose, make sure to be considerate of your renters during the process to ensure they're comfortable and that their needs are met.