Preparing your investment property for winter
The mornings are a little bit colder, the days are growing shorter, which means winter is fast approaching.
So what should rental property owners be turning their attention to in order to prepare their property for the cooler months ahead?
Here’s a quick checklist when it comes to preparing your investment property for winter…
Chimney clean
If your investment property has a fireplace, the chimney should be cleaned annually and the best time to do this is prior to winter.
This clean frees the chimney of built up tar or animal litter and ultimately ensures the chimney operates efficiently, reducing the risk of:
- Structural damage
- Carbon monoxide
- House fires
- Backdraft
Heater service
Central heating and reverse cycle air conditioners should also be serviced on an annual basis in a bid to improve the system’s lifespan and efficiency.
This annual service by a professional includes things like:
- Safety checks
- Component inspection
- Operational checks
- Filter replacement
- And more
Gutter clean
A good gutter clean is another item that should be on every property owner’s annual to-do list, and in the southern states of Australia, pre-winter is the ideal time to get this job done.
After all, the southern states have a higher prevalence of deciduous trees which can result in leaf litter accumulating in your gutters.
Couple that with a cold, wet winter, and your gutters can become heavy, rust, and cause a backflow of water into your property during heavy rain.
Tree trim
Tree trimming is another of those annual tasks that we often schedule for spring and early summer, but some properties will benefit from a pre-winter cut back.
Tree trimming at this stage can help reduce leaf litter over winter, but can also allow more light into a property, keeping it warmer and drier over the cool winter months.
Smoke alarms
Between indoor fires, increased use of clothes dryers, and heating, winter sees the risk of house fires increase.
That makes now the time to have your property’s smoke alarms inspected and tested by a professional.
Insulation and ventilation
Insulation can make the world of difference when it comes to keeping the heat in and cold out over winter, and the cool in and heat out over summer.
If you haven’t already, now could be a good time to have insulation installed as a property improvement that will make a whole lot of difference to your renters.
Or, if retrofitting insulation is beyond your budget, small additions like blinds and curtains can help a property retain its ambient temperature and minimise the potential for both heat loss and heat gain.
Meanwhile, good ventilation in a property ensures that there’s no nasty build up of mould, despite the fact the winter months can be cold and damp in some parts of Australia.
