Tips For Landlords Preparing Their Properties For The Summer


As a landlord, the summer can be a very profitable season. As the weather warms up a huge range of people look for properties to rent for the summer months ahead, making this season the most lucrative for the rental market. Potential tenants over the summer months may include:

  1. Recent graduates. As most undergraduate degrees end in early to mid summer, graduates will be ready to enter the workforce from this point onwards and may be searching for a place to rent near their new jobs.
  2. Existing students. Many students have long summer breaks during their degrees, and not all move back home or remain in their university towns. They may be looking to rent short term while they work summer jobs and/or temporary internships.
  3. Families. Many families who want to move house, particularly those with young children, choose to do so over the summer holidays when they are not restricted by the school run.

Regardless of what type of tenants you cater to, there are several property maintenance tasks that any landlord should do in preparation for the summer period.

 

Check the air conditioning

Air conditioning can be a godsend in hot temperatures, so it’s essential to make sure that any units in your properties are in good condition. There are several steps that you can take to ensure that your air conditioning is working well:

  1. Change the filter. A clogged filter can not only prevent the unit from working but also cause expensive damage by allowing the cooling coil to ice up.
  2. Ensure that there is space around units. There should be at least two feet of space around the exterior condenser for safety and optimum function.
  3. Conduct a general inspection. Check over your unit to make sure that everything else is in working order.

Likewise, if your property has ceiling fans, make sure that they are clean before the summer season. When a fan goes unused for the whole of winter, dust collects on top of the blades and makes a mess if they are turned on without being cleaned. You don’t want your tenant to shower themselves in dust, so make sure that the blades are wiped down ahead of time.

 

Do a little gardening

Spending time in a garden over the summer months, sunbathing or even inviting friends over for a barbecue is delightful when the weather is warm. For this reason, if your property has a garden it is absolutely essential to make sure that it is in good condition before your new tenants view the house. If you are the landlord of a block of flats and the garden is communal, this is even more important.

Make sure that the lawn is neatly mowed, any patios have been properly weeded and any decorative hedges or foliage pruned. Pressure wash any grubby or muddy surfaces to instantly smarten up the space. If the outdoor space is looking a little sparse after the ravages of the British winter, why not add some new plants and summer blooming flowers? A well groomed and beautiful garden never fails to make a good impression on prospective tenants.

If your property is already in good condition, you shouldn’t have much to do to make it a welcoming space for summer. Take the opportunity to spruce it up before the hot weather gets here.