Summer Checklist For Landlords

apartment building

As a landlord, you know how important it is to be in tune with your tenant’s property needs. By using a seasonal home maintenance schedule to perform upkeep on properties, you can keep your rentals looking their best year-round and reduce unanticipated problems. Begin with this summer maintenance checklist.

Exterior Summer Rental Property Checklist

Start with these tasks, but modify the property maintenance checklist to reflect the specific characteristics of your rental property:

  • Clean the home exterior. If your apartment building looks dirty, it can turn off potential renters. Pressure wash the home exterior every season.
  • Service central air conditioning. At the start of summer, have the central air conditioner serviced to make sure tenants stay cool.
  • Trim trees and shrubs. If you do not keep up to date with landscaping, the backyard can become unsightly. Trim trees, shrubs and bushes periodically throughout the summer, or hire a landscaping firm.
  • Repair window screens. Over time, window screens become torn. To prevent bugs from coming into your rental units, patch or replace ripped screens.
  • Clean decks or patios. Decks and patios get extra use during summer, so it’s a good idea to start the season with a good cleaning, then stain or repaint if needed.
  • Check the condition of the home exterior. Add this to your landlord checklist every season. By inspecting the unit’s condition, you can budget for future work.

Interior Summer Landlord Tenant Checklist

Along with maintenance for the outside, inspect the inside of the unit with your renters’ cooperation. Add these tasks to your property maintenance checklist:

  • Check appliances twice yearly. It’s more cost-effective to service an appliance if tenants complain of something acting funny than to wait until the unit breaks.
  • Check and install window air conditioners. If you use window instead of central air conditioners, install the units early in summer to keep tenants cool. It’s best to install them for tenants so you can get the units in properly and reduce property damage. Replace or clean filters and check that the air conditioners work properly.
  • Look for signs of mold and water damage. Mold and water damage are expensive to clean up, so it’s best to take action quickly when you notice them. Check for mold and water damage every season.
  • Replace smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries. For safety’s sake, replace the batteries in these life-saving alarms.
  • Look for signs of pests. Termites, cockroaches, bedbugs, rodents and other pests are expensive to remediate and can cause significant damage to your property.

By getting into the habit of performing these summer maintenance tasks, you can keep your renters happy and retain your property’s value. ManageZoom, our property management software, makes it easy for you to create checklists for every rental property and track maintenance requests. Try ManageZoom FREE for 30 days and see how easy it makes summer home maintenance.