Preparing your property for winter

We have been very fortunate and had a great summer, but winter may not be as kind.

As a landlord, preparing your property for winter is important for preventative maintenance. A few simple checks and changes can help save you time and money. It will also help keep your tenant warm, dry and happy.

Gutters have a purpose

They are there to drain away the rain. If your gutters are full of leaves and debris, the rain will either flow over the top of the guttering or find a way of diverting back into the eaves and going inside the house.

For an average spend of $150 and whilst the weather is fine we can get your gutters cleaned and give you and the tenant peace of mind.

It is also a good time to remove any mould and lichen from the roof and this will give your roof an extended life.

As well as filling your gutters with leaves, overhanging branches can do even more harm to your roof. During high winds they can scratch, gouge and even puncture roofing materials. Tree branches can break and cause damage to your roof or power lines too, so take a careful look around your property and see where hazardous branches or even dangerous trees may be.

Pruning branches away from gutters

It is a good time to prune branches in autumn when there are not so many leaves on the trees. Overhanding branches on gutters are problematic and will continue to clog the gutters if not pruned back.

Windows and door seals

Most of you have completed the Healthy Homes work with your window and door seals, but if not, we would recommend you do this as soon as possible. This not only stops drafts and keeps the tenant happy, but stops moisture from leaking into the framework of the property.

Servicing of heat pumps and log burners

We advise tenants to clean the filters on heat pumps, but also it is important to get them service regularly, as this is like car service and will extend the life of the heat pump. This also applies to log burners and flues are required to be cleaned out annually.