Fall is, as a matter of fact, a terrific time of the year to perform regular maintenance on some of the hardest-working devices in your rental property. Filters, batteries, and water heaters shall have to be thoroughly checked and cleaned or replaced regularly to ensure your tenants are truly safe and your rental property is in fine shape. By making use of the season to accomplish these important interior maintenance items, you can provide assistance by keeping things moving safely and smoothly all winter long.
Very few details are more crucial than changing your Hampton rental property’s air filters often. These filters keep your property’s HVAC system clean and running efficiently. That’s why changing the air filters in your rental property is an important part of seasonal maintenance. As the winter months draw near, much time is consumed just being inside, and furnaces start to work harder to keep out the cold. This makes keeping your filters clean yet even more relevant. In accordance with which type of filter your HVAC system needs, you would probably need to change the filters as often as every 30 days, every three months, or even every six months. Granted, you could try urging your tenant to work on this responsibility for you, but the likelihood of your tenant missing or not changing the filters often enough is really high. This may definitely give rise to a strain on your HVAC system, lowering the life and reducing the efficiency of the unit.
Fall is, furthermore, the best time to test and change the batteries in your rental property’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These devices are critical to ensuring your tenants’ safety; ignoring the maintenance of functioning smoke detectors in your rental property could trigger you to be sued should your property be damaged or if any of your tenants is hurt in a fire.
A number of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors will need their batteries changed every six to twelve months; others have lithium batteries that can last up to ten years, approximately the useful life of a smoke or carbon monoxide detector. It doesn’t really matter which kind of battery your devices have, you should see to it that the batteries are being tested and replaced on a regular basis. Hundreds of people are injured or killed in house fires every year, partly because of the fact that the smoke detectors in their homes were not operating correctly. If you leave this responsibility to your tenant, there is no certainty that they will fulfill it. They may even harm your property’s smoke detectors in the process, generating replacement damages and increased liability.
Even with being considered as one of the most frequently used devices in a rental home, water heaters are in most cases neglected when doing property maintenance tasks. However, cleaning your rental property’s water heater is a relevant aspect of making sure it is operating suitably and efficiently. Over time, sediment builds up in the tank of a water heater, making it less efficient and even leading to clogged water lines.
These troubles and problems can be definitely avoided by flushing your water heater once every six months or so. This duty can really take time. It is a crucial element of getting the best out of your expensive water heater unit. Despite the fact that asking your tenant to clean the water heater may sound like a great idea in these circumstances, you risk having a job performed unsatisfactorily or improperly and in the end, a tenant may make bigger problems and concerns than they can find the solution for.
Neglecting these maintenance items can have serious consequences and develop into expensive repairs eventually. Nonetheless requesting your tenant to change or clean the filters, batteries, and water heater in your Hampton rental property is not the best option. Although you could work on the responsibility yourself, your ideal course of action is to delegate a company like Real Property Management Seacoast New Hampshire to deal with all your property maintenance for you. Our full range of maintenance services will maintain your tenants’ safety and keep your property in fine condition, setting you free to develop ever more your real estate investing business. Contact us today for more useful information.
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