As an Anchorage landlord, you know termination dust is right around the corner. We know it’s tempting to put off thinking about winterization until September. But if you start building a plan now, it will make things faster and simpler next month.
Depending on how many units you manage, you can work on a list of items for yourself and a helpful list for your tenants.
Items that Should be Part of Your Winterization List:
- HVAC Inspections: You should have the boilers or furnaces regularly inspected. Having it done before your tenants need the heat to survive the winter is always wise. You have the opportunity to catch any issues before they become big and costly.
- Exterior Inspection: Frost heave from last winter may have shifted the home and caused cracks or gaps around doors or windows or in foundations. It is important to have these repaired before another winter makes them worse.
- Leave the Heat On: Remind tenants to leave their heat on between 55-62 degrees if they are going to be traveling this winter. Anything lower and the pipes are likely to freeze and burst, causing massive damage.
- Inspect the Chimney: It is wise to have yearly inspections of any chimneys on your properties. A damaged chimney can cause fires or serious smoke damage to your property. Yearly maintenance is a small investment compared to your entire property.
- Inspect the Roof: Anchorage is known for some pretty high winds, especially up on Hillside. It is unlikely your tenant will notice some shingles missing until it actually starts leaking inside the house. So stay on top of it and have the roof inspected before the August and September rains cause extensive damage.
- Prep for Snow Removal: Are you contracting out your snow removal this year? Many companies are in the bidding process now for winter contracts. You can renegotiate with your company from last winter, or look for new bids now. It’s better to know have that solid now, before the snow flies and all the companies are booked solid.
Before the craziness of winter, prep starts in earnest next month, and all the leaves begin to fall, make a plan. Give your self some deadlines. It’s likely the more organized you are, the less stressful getting your properties prepped for winter will be.