As autumn is on the way, the leaves begin to fall, and that means gutters are jammed with debris. To make sure that your Locust Grove rental property in tip-top shape year after year, it is necessary to make cleaning gutters an integral part of your property maintenance routine. But who should be responsible to clean them out? It may seem like a great plan to try and ask your tenant to do the work; however, you ought to know that there are important reasons as to why you should not have them perform regular gutter maintenance. It does not matter if they seem to know what they are doing, asking a tenant to clean your rental property’s gutters could lead to serious injury or property damage, both of which could result in expensive problems later.
Functioning gutters are an essential part of preventing expensive repairs. Overflowing gutters can often end up with damaged foundations, roofs, and other structural elements of the property. They can also bring in insects and other pests, on top of other health hazards like mold. When gutters are not cleaned routinely, they can cause serious problems that you might not be able to see until it’s too late.
Cleaning gutters is not a difficult task but will entail a great deal of practice and effort to understand how it is done the right way. The right equipment is required, and proper safety procedures should be observed. Most gutters can be cleaned with a ladder, hose or sprayer, and a trowel or plastic scoop. Using these tools, you can easily remove large debris from the gutters to keep water flowing in the right direction. It’s essential to make sure that you move debris away from the downspout and check vertical pieces of the gutter for blockages. Flushing these parts with a hose can be quite effective in most cases. Other procedures may use a power washer to get the more stubborn dirt out of gutters and downspouts but must be used with care or risk damaging the gutters or even the house itself.
This is a big reason why asking your tenant to perform gutter maintenance is not a good idea. Your tenant may not have good knowledge about how to clean a gutter without damaging it, or even without causing damage to the roof, siding, and other areas of the house. Even tenants with good intentions may accidentally cause damage that will be expensive to repair. Similarly, if a tenant cleans the gutters but does a poor job of it, you may not realize that there is a problem for months or even years. Considering the job has been done perfectly could cost you months or even years down the road.
One other piece to consider is your tenant’s health and safety. To reach the gutters, it is often necessary to use a ladder and other equipment notorious for causing accidents and injuries. By one estimate, there are more than 36,000 deaths from falling off ladders in the United States every year. Ladder-related injuries are even higher, with more than 164,000 accidents reported annually. With so much risk that is at stake, it is not a such a wise idea to ask your tenant to get on a ladder to perform property maintenance on your rental. Should they fall and hurt themselves, you could be sued and found liable to pay their medical and legal expenses.
Cleaning the gutters on your rental property once or twice a year can help keep your tenants safe and forestall high-priced repairs. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you, the time and costs involved are small compared to the consequences for not ensuring your gutters are properly maintained. At Real Property Management Anchor, we incorporate regular gutter maintenance with our other quality property maintenance services in Locust Grove. With our help, you will have more time to focus on the more valuable aspects of your real estate investing business. For more information, contact us or call us at 678-467-3039 today.
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