As winter approaches, it’s time to prepare for the colder months. The 2024/25 winter season is forecasted to be a challenging one due to the impact of La Nina and the Polar Vortex. This could mean that we might experience heavy snowfall, cold spells, and stormy conditions.
Harsh winter conditions can greatly impact properties, which in turn can affect your living conditions. As a property owner or RMC director, it’s important that you consider these winter maintenance tips for apartments before the weather takes a turn for the worse.
Here’s our tips on how to winter proof your home and rental property.
6 Winter Maintenance Tips for Apartments and Properties
1. Protect Your Water Pipes
As soon as the temperature drops below 0°C for a prolonged period, water pipes can start to freeze. This makes it essential to be on top of your winter plumbing maintenance. To avoid this, for external pipes, you can keep them insulated with lagging.
Water freezes at 0°C, so when the temperature drops below this number, the water in the pipes expands to form ice, which can cause the pipe to burst. Then, when the temperature rises again, it can lead to leaks, especially in internal pipes.
Here are a few important winter plumbing maintenance tips that property owners or their tenants should follow:
- Close the stopcock if the property is to remain vacant, even if for a few days.
- Drain out the water in the pipes by opening the taps if the tenant is leaving home. If the tenant is staying at home, they should open all the taps at least once a day so that the water keeps moving. This also helps to detect clogged pipes early on and address issues before they get out of hand.
- Inspect the pipes regularly and look for any signs of external damage.
- Insulate external pipes with lagging. If internal pipes freeze, heat them with a hair dryer or by wrapping them in warm towels.
If you find a pipe has burst, close the stopcock and call a plumber.
2. Clean the Gutters
As essential for your winter home maintenance checklist is winter gutter maintenance. When you winter proof your home or property, don’t forget to check the gutters. It might not be the most pleasant task, but cleaning your gutters can keep your rental property safe during the winter.
Don’t want to do the dirty work yourself? Work with Habitare and our expert team will ensure that your property’s gutters are professionally cleaned at regular intervals.
Leaves and other debris can accumulate in gutters and downpipes, leading to clogging. When the gutters get clogged, the water from the roof can’t flow down, and it can start seeping in through the roof. Proper winter gutter maintenance and cleaning can help you avoid this situation. If your apartment has creepers surrounding the facade or lots of trees around the building, cleaning the gutters twice during winter is necessary.
3. Insulate the Roof
Did you know that 25% of the heat is lost through the roof of a property?
Insulation, especially in the roof, is important to keep your property warm in the colder months. Trapping heat also reduces the amount of energy required to warm the property, helping your tenant save on energy bills.
Roof insulation also includes insulating your property’s loft and attic. While the initial cost of insulation can act as a deterrent, it can actually help your tenants save money. Good quality insulation can last several years, making it a long-term investment for your property. It can also increase your overall EPC rating, making your property energy-efficient and attracting sustainability-conscious tenants.
4. Draft-proof Doors and Windows
Another of the best winter maintenance tips for apartments is to draft-proof doors and windows. When it’s raining or snowing outside, you’ll help your tenants stay warm by preventing the cold air from entering the rental property. Draft-proofing doors and windows is also a good practice to help your tenants save money on energy bills while reducing their carbon footprint.
Winter house maintenance is incomplete without taking proactive steps to draft-proof doors and windows. This includes:
- Double-glazing windows
- Adding self-adhesive strips of foam to windows
- Adding silicon sealant, (this is only really suitable for windows that aren’t opened)
- Using thick and insulating curtains
- Cutting down tree branches that may be growing close to windows to lessen the likelihood of damage during a storm
- Draught-proofing doors with a brush draught-excluder
5. Check Your Boiler
Another essential item on your winter home maintenance checklist for rental apartments is getting the boilers checked. If your property has a gas boiler, checking the pressure should be part of your annual winter house maintenance list. The pressure reading should be between 1 and 1.5 bars. As a property owner, it’s your responsibility to maintain the boiler.
If the boiler hasn’t been used throughout the year or is a few years old, arrange for a plumber to check the boiler before the onset of the winter, during October or early November.
You can also upgrade to a new boiler if the existing boiler is too old.
6. Monitor the Exterior of Your Property
If you want to know how to prepare your home for winter, don’t forget to check the exterior of your apartment block or rental property and the premises. Chop down any branches that might damage the property’s exterior or windows. You should also cut down any old trees that might topple down during storms.
If your apartment block has a garden or landscaping, then secure any play equipment, trampolines, plastic garden furniture, and any other items that could fly off during a winter storm.
It is also important to clear snow and ice from the lobby, foyer, driveway, and footpaths, as this can cause accidents or prevent movement during an emergency. Property owners should keep tools such as shovels, salt and de-icing agents ready for snow or ice.
Contact Habitare for Winter Block Property Management and Upkeep
Hopefully, you’ve found these winter maintenance tips for apartments helpful when preparing your rental property for the upcoming colder months.
If you’re keen to outsource these tasks to an expert, choose Habitare. We’ll help you stay on top of your winter maintenance list. We conduct thorough property maintenance and repair around the year, so when winter approaches, your apartment is ready to meet the challenges of the season head-on and keep your tenants comfortable
At Habitare, we only work with the top contractors and have on-site professionals who can address any issue that might crop up.
Contact us today to learn more about our property management services.