Winter is here and high time to assess your investment property for any potential or existing issues before they worsen. Conducting a basic winter maintenance check will not only protect your tenant, it’ll also safeguard your property and finances.

Here are some rental property maintenance precautions that landlords and tenants alike should consider as we move into the colder winter months. 

Test smoke detectors

House fires are more common in winter. Some of the causes of these fires are faulty electric blankets, heaters and appliances. While tenants must check the condition of their heating and electrical appliances before use, a smoke alarm is necessary (and required by law) to ensure the safety of the occupants in case of a fire.

Tenants are responsible for replacing the batteries and testing the device, but they must not interfere with or remove smoke alarms, without a reasonable excuse. We suggest landlords schedule annual smoke alarm maintenance checks to ensure they are operating effectively and notify the tenants. Fire and rescue NSW recommend you:

• Test your property’s smoke alarm batteries monthly
• Remove dust from the smoke alarm every six months
• Replace the batteries once a year
• Remove and fit a new smoke alarm unit every 10 years.

Service air-conditioning

If you have one or more installed in your investment property, you should make a point to clean or replace filters at the beginning of each season. Filters may need more upkeep if tenants have pets, such as dogs or cats, allow dust and dirt build up, or are big air-con users.

Treat mould

The most common cause of indoor house mould is moisture. Warm, damp rooms such as the bathroom and laundry are particularly prone to mould, especially in winter. During the colder months, tenants may open windows less frequently, especially after taking a shower or using the clothes dryer. Windows and walls become wet with condensation. Conversely, leaving windows and doors open in the early mornings and evenings brings the cool, moist air inside.

The best way to tackle mould is to ensure there’s adequate ventilation available. Make sure windows and doors can be opened easily – preferably during the warmer, sunnier parts of the day – and consider installing an exhaust fan. Let tenants know what to look for and how they can also prevent mould.

Clean gutters

It tends to rain more in winter. One of the most common winter household maintenance issues is blocked gutters and downpipes. These issues can cause all sorts of damage to your property, including leaking, rotting, rising damp, water damage, mould and in severe cases, affect the property’s foundations. If untreated, a minor issue can quickly escalate.

But it’s easy to prevent by making sure your gutters are free from leaves, twigs and other debris, especially before winter. If you don’t trust yourself on a ladder, you may prefer to hire a handyman to do the job.

Prevent slipping

Moss, mildew and algae can build up in damp, shady areas, particularly in winter. This can make driveways, paths and outdoor patios slippery and dangerous. While tenants are responsible for maintaining these areas, you should make sure they know what to do before winter and check they’re doing this at each inspection.

While there are many off-the-shelf products available to prevent moss and algae build up the issue can be easily managed by:

• keeping the areas clean and free from leaves and debris and anything that causes the accumulation of moisture and
• occasionally brushing and sweeping the surface.

Ongoing, proactive maintenance of your investment property, particularly during the winter months will protect your asset in the long-term.

Need more information?

Stills Properties has been managing investment properties for Sydney landlords for over 30 years, contact us to discuss your investment property management needs.

Australian companies have been outsourcing services for years, especially big brands and large corporations.

In recent years, small business has jumped on the band wagon to use onshore and offshore outsourcing with the aim to reduce costs and improve efficiencies.

Outsourcing is now common across many industries and increasingly in the real estate sector, particularly property management. Some real estate industry insiders suggest it’s the ‘way of the future’.

While the property management sector may well be heading this way, is it necessarily good for the end-customers? You, the landlord and your tenants?

First, let’s look at what outsourcing is

Outsourcing involves a business hiring an external party – individual or company – or using an application to provide services or manage operations that were typically performed in-house. Sometimes this includes engaging the services of an overseas provider or a party closer to home.

Many property management outsourcing companies promise back office support that takes care of the time intensive tasks and frees up the property managers to focus on growing the business.

But outsourcing is not a silver bullet for business pain points. Professional property management requires more than just back office and administrative support. It involves communication to build relationships and trust.

The main concern with outsourcing property management services

Landlords entrust property managers with the upkeep of their investments. For this reason, it’s essential they know who is actually managing their property – the main concern with the increase in agents turning to outsourcing is the lack of transparency.

I’m a property manager, and I’m also a landlord. Recently, I discovered that the property manager for one of my properties located interstate was outsourcing repairs and maintenance services to a third party and using freelance trades to make repairs.

As the property owner, I want to decide who looks after my best interests and that of my tenant’s. It’s the landlord’s decision, so it’s our right to know.

If you’re unsure who is actually managing your property, raise it with your property manager.

If you discover that your property manager outsources or offshores services to a third party, understand what this means to you and know the impacts:

• Your information may be passed on to a third party – make sure you know who has your information and how it is being used.
• Your tenants may not know who is managing the property – they may be at a loss to know who to call when they have a question or concern.
• Your tenant’s repairs and maintenance requests may not be carried out accurately or at the best rate, costing you time and money.
• The third party may be carrying out non-back-office and non-administrative services such as tenant screening, lease negotiation and inspections. If so, the decisions made by the third party, such as maximising rent, may not be in your best interest.
• Your property manager may not be properly overseeing the performance of the third party.
• Your property manager may not be nurturing the relationship with the tenant which may result in shorter tenancies.

Need more information?

Stills Properties has been managing investment properties for Sydney landlords for over 30 years, contact us to discuss your investment property management needs.