Are you looking for preventative property maintenance tips? Do you feel that you are always blindsided with maintenance problems when it comes to your rental property or home? If so, we’ve got you covered.
Maintaining a home or rental property is no small task. Whether you’re trying to deal with tenants or wrangle your kids after a rowdy day at school there are bound to be damages that happen to your place of residence. Fortunately, though, if you stay on top of it these problems don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, with a little bit of prevention, you can make sure damages never reach too far.
Here is a preventative property maintenance checklist you can use whether you are a homeowner or landlord.
- Examine and repair window frames
- Have your HVAC examined
- Re-touch painted structures
- Check your property after storms
- Clear out your gutters and debris on your property
- Check smoke detectors
- Service water heater and plumbing
- Check for cracks in siding or roofing tiles
- Be proactive
Examine and repair window frames
Your windows can be both a source of strength and weakness. Windows are exposed to the outside elements as well as what’s happening indoors. This can lead to window frames cracking or becoming damaged. Damaged window frames can allow cool air to escape or bugs to have easy access to your home. Damaged window frames can also cause your electric bill to skyrocket due to air escaping your home faster. One of the best preventive property maintenance tips we have is to check your windows often. If you are a homeowner, consider checking your frames every six months or after a storm. Landlords should have staff check window frames during an inspection.
Have your HVAC examined
The last thing you want to happen in a hot state like Texas is for your air conditioning to stop working. To prevent this from happening you need to have routine maintenance done on your HVAC systems once or twice a year. For homeowners, it is recommended that you at least have an inspection done once a year. Landlords should also expect to have the HVAC examined at least once a year, preferably before the hotter months to make sure everything is running properly.
Re-touch painted structures
There’s no doubt about it; chipped and deteriorating paint can damage the value of your home or property. One of the most important preventive property maintenance tasks you should add to your checklist is repainting. This can be on both the outside and inside of your property. Not only can this help you keep the value of your property high, but it will also mean you can spot any cracks or deterioration sooner rather than later. You can do some minor touch-ups yourself or hire a professional to repaint certain structures.
Check your property after storms
While this may seem obvious, you’d be surprised how many people don’t actually follow this preventative property maintenance. Storms can damage your property due to rain, high winds, or any other factor. Storms can especially damage your roofing and siding of your property. Instead of waiting for a problem to present itself, be proactive. Look for debris that could potentially damage your property. This will help you prevent more complicated problems from arising.
Clear out your gutters and debris on your property
Another preventative property maintenance tip that’s good for both homeowners and landlords is the need to clean out your gutters. When your gutters clog and don’t drain properly, it can allow water to leak into the siding of your home or pool on your roof. This water then can seep into your home causing mold damage and other problems as well. Water damage can cost thousands of dollars to repair.
Unaddressed, clogged gutters can become a real nuisance. Bugs and other animals may try to find at home in your gutter system among the leaves. You don’t want those critters on your property. This also goes for around your property as well. You’ll want to clear out unwanted debris near or on your property. If you find sagging areas in your gutters or missing pieces, it’s likely time to call in a professional to replace your gutters.
Check smoke detectors
Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by your smoke detector because the battery is running low? It is very annoying. However, that’s not the only reason you should check your smoke detector batteries yearly. Sometimes, smoke detectors won’t alert you when the battery is running low. In order for homeowners, landlords, and tenants to be safe, smoke detector batteries need to be checked at least once to twice a year. On top of this, the USFA also recommends that owners check smoke detectors once a month for functionality and replace a smoke detector that is over 10 years old.
Service water heater and plumbing
Not many people consider the water heater or plumbing until something goes wrong. This is a mistake. One of our most vital preventative property maintenance tips is to service air water heaters and plumbing at least once a year. Doing so can prevent buildup and damage to those necessary elements within our home. This can save you thousands of dollars by catching problems before they occur.
Check for cracks in siding or roofing tiles
The life of a roof varies depending on the types of materials that were used. Even with the best roofing materials though, you’re bound to experience some damage at some point. Whether related to storm damage or natural wear and tear, you will want to check your roof for damage. Both your roof and siding can allow for water and air to enter your property. This can cause water damage, mold, sickness, bug infestations, and more. You may see granular loss on roofing tiles, missing tiles, cracked tiles, or cracks in your siding. All of these symptoms present a problem and need to be addressed as soon as possible.
Protect your roof and siding year-round with some routine maintenance performed by yourself or a professional company.
Be proactive
The last point we want to make for our preventative property maintenance checklist is that you need to be proactive. Waiting for problems to show up is only going to exacerbate them in the long run. Block out time in the year to plan on checking these items. This ensures that you are prepared and aren’t left holding a ginormous bill for something that could have been easily fixed five months ago.
Are you experiencing damage to your home and need help? Find missing tiles on your roof? If so, Galaxy Construction and Roofing can help. We are a certified roofing company that has helped hundreds of customers with their roofing problems. Contact us today to find out more!
