As a rental property owner, you have to take care of your property for the sake of your tenants. Additionally, keeping your property in good condition through preventative maintenance will help you protect your investment. Your property will last longer, look better, rent quicker, stay occupied longer, and you’ll spend less money on repairs.

Start with Good Landscaping

While most people think landscaping services only serve to beautify the exterior property, they can help you protect your property from damage. Overgrown grass or shrubbery creates the ideal place for destructive pests to gather and nest. Keeping your grass cut short and the foliage on your property trimmed will help keep pests away.

Additionally, overgrown tree limbs can damage your roof, siding, or windows. Having your trees pruned every year will limit the damage caused during a storm or high winds.

Inspect Your Roof

You should inspect your roof at least once each year. Look for broken or missing shingles to identify areas where the roofing needs repairs. If you see more than one area that looks damaged or find granules on the ground surrounding your property, you may need to schedule a roof replacement.

As you inspect your roof, remove leaves, tree branches, and other debris that have gathered on the roof. You should try to soak up any pools of water on flat areas of your roof. Debris and moisture can damage your roof if they aren’t removed.

Make sure to clean out your gutters regularly as well. The gutters can collect leaves, dirt, and litter, leading to a blockage that will inhibit water flow. When this happens, the water will back up and cause damage to your roof and siding. Blocked gutters will become heavy, pulling away from the building. This can damage the building’s structure.

Inspect HVAC Units Twice Per Year

Notify your tenants that you will schedule HVAC tune-ups twice per year to ensure they can accommodate the cooling and heating technician. The tune-up and inspection will involve cleaning the coils, replacing worn components, and lubricating blower motors. The technician will check the wiring, hoses, and fans to ensure efficient operation.

You should advise your tenants to change or clean the air filters every one to three months. Remind them several times per year and point out that changing the filters will keep the air cleaner in their rental units and reduce the utility costs. Asking tenants to keep the air filters clean will reduce the need for costls HVAC repairs.

Don’t Forget About Fire Safety

Check the fire safety equipment in each rental unit to make sure it remains in good operating condition. Test your smoke detectors every year to identify malfunctioning units. Regularly replace the batteries in smoke detectors and have fire extinguishers inspected once per year.

If your building has a sprinkler system, make sure to have it inspected and tested annually. Remind your tenants that they shouldn’t hang items from the sprinklers or block them with tall furniture. Your maintenance crew must also avoid painting over sprinklers and alarm pull stations.

Work with a Pest Control Service

Pests include everything from rodents to insects, and each type of pest can cause a different type of damage to your property. Potential tenants will also be less likely to rent a unit if they see signs of a pest infestation. To avoid either of these consequences, you should have your property treated by a pest control service.

Regular sprayings will make your property uninhabitable by most pests. During each treatment, the technician will look for signs of infestation. They will know how to find bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, and other destructive pests.

Look for Wear and Tear Damage

As each tenant vacates your property, take the time to inspect the unit for wear and tear. This can include loose bathroom wall tiles, worn carpeting, water leaks, and other common problems. You will need to repair these early to avoid bigger issues.

Perform these repairs before cleaning and repainting the unit in preparation for a new tenant. This will help you make sure the unit is in its best possible condition before prospective tenants come for a viewing of the property.

Let Us Help You Protect Your Rental Property

Even though preventative maintenance is necessary, it can become a time-consuming process. Landmark Property Management offers the maintenance services you need to help you protect your property and provide better service to your tenants. Named one of the Best Property Management Companies in Chicago, Landmark Property Management is a full-service brokerage with a reputation for going the extra mile for our clients. If you need help, have any questions, or are interested in learning from the best property management company in Chicago, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can contact us at Landmark Property Management via phone at 312-313-8553 or send us an email at office@landmarkrgc.com.