Getting your rental house ready for spring

Do a general inspection

Winter can be really hard on your property, so before you start getting it ready for spring, make sure it doesn’t have any leftover damage. You need to be thorough and look over every corner both inside and outside. Some things to look out for are:

• Make sure the gutters are clear. This is really important  since they need to be free of trash or leaves to function well.
• See that there is no visible humidity or leak. Some leaks can be harder to find, so take your time to look in the attic, any crawl spaces and behind appliances.
• Check the windows and roof for any damage. Winter can be especially rough on the roof, which is why you need to pay special attention when inspecting it. A leaky roof can not only cause real damage to the whole property, but can also be dangerous to the tenants.
• See that all appliances, including the HVAC system are working. With the cold weather close by, the air conditioner has probably not been used in a while, so turn it on to double check it is working properly.

 

Work on the landscape

It is more than likely that winter caused some havoc on your garden. Before focusing on the aesthetic side, check that any valves, pipes or irrigation system you may have are working and have not suffered. 

Then, inspect all surrounding trees to make sure there aren’t any dead branches that could fall onto someone or onto the property and give them a good trim so they can grow over the next seasons. 

Finally, take a look at the lawn. The grass and plants will have probably taken the hardest hits. You can fix it up with a little gardening to make it look so much better! 

Give it a nice paint

One way that is low-cost and efficient to improve how a property looks is to give it a nice coat of paint, both on the inside and, if necessary, on the outside. See what the season’s colors are and don’t be afraid to mix-it up and bring in fresh, warm colors to help make your property look more welcoming.

Prepare the place for unwelcome guests

Unfortunately, when warm weather comes in, so do insects and other animals like wasps, bees, mice and other pests. Investing in protective covers can help you save big money on pest control later on. It may also be the perfect time to remind your tenants to handle their trash and recycling correctly, and to keep their exterior waste disposals closed, so as to not attract anything.

 

Looking over these things early on in the year, especially after winter’s shenanigans can help you keep your property safer and prevent any risk that could potentially really damage your property.