It All Starts On The Inside

A helpful guide from Blue Door Residential Property Management & The Norman Home Team of Keller Williams Gateway.

This is part one of our series on the winter maintenance checklist focusing on the interior of the home.

As the colder temps have arrived, now is the time to work through your winter checklist to ensure your investment property stays in tip-top condition. Winter is one of the hardest seasons on our properties in Maryland because of the freezing and thawing that occurs all winter long. Any open cracks or areas where water can get in and stand becomes a serious problem quickly by helping to deteriorate your investment in ways that can be quite costly.
Running through an annual winter maintenance checklist will help to reduce expenses, will keep your tenants happy and will improve the quality of your rental property.

Inspect the HVAC System: Furnace, Boiler and Heat Pumps, Water Heater

During the winter months, your property's HVAC system works harder than any other time. Have your furnace, boiler, radiators, heat pump and water heater inspected in the fall to ensure they are ready for the cold temperatures. Change out all filters monthly if possible to allow the furnace to run at maximum efficiency. If using a boiler and radiator system, have a plumber check that the valves are working properly for heat to disperse from every register.

Check Windows, Doors, and Electrical Outlets For Drafts

Drafty doors, windows and electrical outlets can drive up the electric and gas bill. By replacing seals on windows and doors and insulating electrical outlets, the properties heating bills will be reduced. By inspecting these annually, areas can be fixed overtime instead of waiting for a tenant to bring to your attention that there are serious issues with draft in your property.
Check the door frames and joints too to identify the gaps and seal them. Consider adding door sweeps on the bottom of entrance doors or installing a storm door or windows to keep the heat in.

Inspect & Insulate Your Home

Start with the attic by inspecting the insulation that is visible. Replace or add to the existing insulation if it is breaking down or install new insulation where possible. Inspect the crawl spaces, basement, eaves and any other open areas where insulation could be added.
Inspecting and fixing these areas annually will help to improve the overall efficiency of your HVAC system.

Winterize Indoor Pipes

Non-insulated pipes may freeze quickly and burst if the heat goes out unexpectedly for a period of time. One way to help prevent this is to install installation around the exposed pipes. Pipe insulating sleeves can be purchased for very little at the local hardware store and can save you a bundle by preventing a frozen pipe.

Clean and Inspect the Chimney

There are over 25,000 house fires annually due to chimneys on wood burning stoves and fireplaces not being cleaned properly or at all. Every fall, hire a chimney inspector to clean and inspect the fireplace or stove through the top of the chimney to ensure it is in proper working condition.

Inspect for Leaks

Start with the attic and inspect the roof for any leaks on the interior. Check any air vents in the attic to ensure they have their cover properly installed and that rodents haven’t made their way in.

Check all the bathroom toilets and sinks for constant drips and leaking pipes which could cause damage to the flooring or ceiling below. Check the kitchen sink and garbage disposal lines to ensure they are leak free.

Check all pipes in the basement or crawl space to ensure there is no sign of leaks and take care of any small issues found before they turn into a bigger headache

Take Away

Staying on top of interior maintenance on a regular basis will protect the value of your investment and will provide tenants with a good environment all year round. Hiring a great property management company to handle these tasks for you can be a great way to ensure this maintenance is happening yearly to protect your investment.

If you have questions or would like to discuss property management services for your investment property, give us a call at 443.252.3385 or email us at info@bluedoor-pm.com today!

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