Property Maintenance- Why it’s so important

There is a wide range of maintenance tasks that every landlord should perform regularly. If you can’t call your local handyman, Best Florida Handyman.
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These preventative acts will help them find out any small issues before they become more serious and cost a lot of money on repairs or replacement. With that in mind, here are 7 helpful property maintenance tips that should be included in the daily or monthly routine.

If you’re an investor and you need this service, fill our our survey. Otherwise, read below and look at our 7 property management tips.

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See below for our 7 tips to successful property maintenance. You can also look at the great article Forbes put out here.?

1. Check for leaks and water damage.
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The best time to examine your property for leaks is after winter rainy season. If you do find any leaks, it’s a good idea to call a 24 hour handyman service. It gets very humid and hot when the pipe systems tend to sweat. Keep in mind to check for any soft spot on the walls, ceilings, and roofs. Look for all signs of liquid around the toilets, showers, and windows. And do not forget to take a look under the water heaters, boilers, and sinks. It is important to find out a water leak as soon as possible. Ongoing leaks would completely damage ceilings, walls, possessions of the tenants. Dangerous and harmful mold would also grow, which might be a large expense, particularly when the total affected space is more than ten square feet.

2. Exterminate on a monthly basis If you are owning a rental property, it is necessary exterminate at least once per month. Even when there is no sign of a current insect or rodent issue, you might want to prevent these problems from happening. Do not only exterminate in a single apartment or space because critters can spread to other parts of your property easily. Instead, the extermination should be performed on the entire property. Even though you can buy exterminating supplies and do the task on your own, it is advisable to leave it to a professional service. Monthly exterminations might cost you some money, but this preventative measure will be a much cheaper solution than the expenses of losing your current and potential tenants because of some pest issues. Also, keep in mind to do thorough research for the best service and price. For instance, you might spend around $30 per unit for extermination tasks each month. Compared to the monthly rent of $1000, this amount is obviously insignificant.

3. Test all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors regularly Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors play an essential role in ensuring the safety of your property in case of fires or electrical issues. Thus, keep in mind to examine these systems at least once per month to make sure they are still working properly. Both hard-wired and battery-operated units should be examined. Set a monthly schedule to check as you collect the rent or at any time which is convenient for you. By doing this, you can ensure that these devices will operate in emergent cases and save lives. When there are any carbon monoxide leaks or fires in your property and these units aren?t in the working order, it is highly likely that you will face a legal claim. Also, keep in mind that the average lifespan of most carbon monoxide detectors is around 5 years and smoke alarms is approximately 10 years, so make sure to replace if necessary.

4. Examine shower grout and caulking between tiles The grout between tiles in your shower might crack over time, which cause the caulk around the tub to loosen gradually. When this occurs, you will not have a waterproof seal anymore and water would leak through or damage the entire walls and floor below. Therefore, it is important to replace the grout or caulking as soon as you see any holes or cracks prevent these potential water damages.

5. Replace the filters in the forced air system For air conditioning and heating unit, it is advisable to replace the filters at least once per six months. Consult the manufacturers of the cooling or heating system to know the highest efficiency unit for your system. A dirty filter could increase your monthly electricity bill by forcing the whole system to operate harder or would result in malfunctions in the system such as freeze-up. Changing the filters on a regular basis will help prevent their air ducts from getting clogged by dust, dirt, and other air pollens. Otherwise, these components will often require a professional cleaning service, which can be much more expensive. Even when your tenants pay their own bills, pay special attention to this maintenance task because an excessively high electricity bill might cause the tenants to find a better place.

6. Clean your gutters Another area that you need to check regularly on your property is the gutter. This space could easily get clogged with debris and leaves. If left untreated, clogged gutters would lead leaks into your property. After a heavy rain or when snow or ice gets melted, the trapped water might penetrate into the living space around windows, through the siding, the roof, or even through its foundation. If you do not have enough time cleaning out your gutters, then consider purchasing gutter guards for your property. These units can be found in most household stores and are available in a variety of options. By putting them on top of your gutters, they will allow water to move through their small holes while retaining all large debris or leaves and preventing these components from building up in the gutters.

7. Flush the water heater You should also the water heater at least once or twice per year to keep it in the best condition. The major purpose of this task is to get rid of all sediment which could build up inside the system from the water supply which enters your home. If there are too much debris or sediment building up, it might clog its drain valve or lower the efficiency of the water heater. Also, it can save you a lot of money because replacing a new water heater can be really expensive. Be careful and follow the procedures to drain the water heater. If you aren?t comfortable doing this task yourself, it is advisable to hire a professional technician.