How Landlords Can Protect Their Property in Winter

As the icy fingers of winter start to drive people indoors, it is helpful for landlords to remember that the winter season can also give their rented property a good weather battering.

You can check and fix certain things before the onset of winter to help your tenants be more comfortable during the colder months of the year, but they will also protect your property from avoidable issues.

We all know that a warm home is a happy home. Making your rented property more energy efficient will not only help to keep your tenants warm and cosy during winter but will also help to cut down on their fuel bills.

Here are a few things you can do:

Home insulation

The most effective way to help your property retain heat is to make sure the loft is properly insulated. Even if the loft already has some insulation, it may have been put down years ago when the recommended depth of loft insulation was much lower than today.

Topping off the loft insulation can make a big difference and is one of the most inexpensive ways to make your property more energy-efficient. You can also help reduce drafts around the house by checking around window and external door frames for gaps that can be sealed up. Even adding a draft excluder to the letterbox can help prevent heat from escaping.

Adding pipe lagging is also a cost-effective way to help prevent frozen pipes during the winter and save you the unnecessary expense of fixing burst pipes. Your tenants will also be thankful for not having the inconvenience of a burst pipe causing issues or damage to their personal property.

Checking the central heating

No one wants their boiler to break down during the winter! You can help your tenants stay warm and keep them supplied with hot water by ensuring the central heating boiler has been checked and serviced before the onset of winter.

It can also help to bleed the radiators to release trapped air pockets that can cause radiators to run inefficiently. If the radiators are quite a few years old and your tenants have reported cold spots while the radiators are running, they could have a severe build-up of dust and debris inside.

Doing a radiator flush can be a great way to clean out all the radiators and pipes in the central heating system. This will also put less pressure and strain on the boiler to pump hot water around a blocked system. Flushing the radiators can also add extra life to your central heating boiler.

External checks

Performing some external property checks can help you to avoid issues during the winter. For example, checking the guttering for damage and cleaning out moss and leaf debris can prevent leaks and water damage from happening to your brickwork.

Late autumn is also an excellent time to check garden fences and support posts to see if any of them are broken, rotten or have perished. It is far better to repair or replace fence panels and posts before the cold weather sets in. No one likes the idea of replacing broken fence panels mid-winter!

If you haven't had the roof checked in a while, it can pay to have a roofer take a look to see if there are any loose tiles or damage that could lead to problems during the winter.

Late autumn is also a good time to trim back hedges and clean garden paths of leaves and moss that can become dangerously slippery during the winter for your tenants.

Most of these winter maintenance jobs are very inexpensive. They can help to keep your tenants happy and warm over winter while saving you money on emergency repairs and avoiding more severe property issues from happening.

At S J Smith we offer a range of services to cater for every type of landlord and property and whether it is a one-off let or a whole block or estate to manage, we apply the same standards of care.

Looking to let a property? Our team will be happy to assist.

Please feel free to get in touch here.