Winter months are the time when you and your family want to be in the warmth of your home. Few things can ruin a fun night at home, like having to deal with the bitter cold.
If you don't prep your home for winter hazards with a bit of property maintenance, you could find yourself at the mercy of winter weather. If you'd like to avoid this, here are five things you can do to protect your home.
1. Trim Shrubs and Cut Back Trees
If you have trees in your yard, wind, ice, and snow have the potential to break branches. Falling branches are a hazard to you and your family, and they can also cause extensive damage to your home. An excellent first step in winter property maintenance is to check trees for dead and damaged branches.
Inspecting your trees' branches is also a good time to trim any shrubbery in your yard. Curb appeal is one of the first things that people notice when they look at your home.
2. Property Maintenance and Your Pipes
One of the biggest risks of cold weather is frozen pipes. There are a lot of things you can do inside and outside your home to prevent this from happening.
If you have a hose, disconnect and drain it. Cover exposed faucets and pipes outside your home with insulating foam covers. You should also turn off the sprinkler system.
If it gets below 20 degrees, keep one or two faucets running slowly. Finally, keep the cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms open to allow warm air to circulate around the pipes.
3. Clean Out Your Gutters
By this point in the year, all the leaves should have fallen off the trees. If you haven't collected the leaves yet, you risk complications with your gutters.
To help maintain your property, clear leaves out of the gutters. Winter is a wet time of the year. When ice and snow melt, you don't want leaves preventing your gutters from draining.
4. Give Your Grass One Final Cut
Cutting your grass is one of the key property maintenance tips to help prep your lawn for the spring. Cutting the grass energizes the root system, which helps with regrowth in spring.
You should also collect the fallen leaves around your yard. Leaves can trap moisture and block sunlight. These factors are the perfect breeding ground for mold and fungus, which can lead to the death of your lawn.
5. Help Warm Air Circulate Inside
To keep your home warm, you should cover and/or remove window air conditioners. While you do that, you should also check for cracks and check for drafts.
To help warm air move throughout a room, turn on a ceiling fan at the lowest speed in reverse (clockwise when you look up).
You should also inspect your fireplace and chimney to make sure they are working properly. Take this time to clean them so there are no complications from build-up.
Providing Services to Renters and Landlords
Prepping your home via property maintenance can ensure you and your family can enjoy festive activities during the winter months. There are many things you can do inside and outside the home to help keep it warm and avoid potential damage. To find out how to lower tenant turnover at your Charlotte rental properties, click here.
At Carolina Property Management, we are all about providing landlords and renters with services to help everyone get what they need. We offer property management, tenant screening, rental searches, and many other services. Contact us today so we can help you with whatever you need. Read this article to learn the top five reasons why you should hire a property maintenance company. https://carolinaspropertymanagement.com/blog/5-big-benefits-of-hiring-property-maintenance-services
