• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

Winter is one of the most challenging seasons for property managers. While everyone is getting ready for the festive season, property managers prepare buildings to withstand heavy rain and snow to prevent damage. Winter maintenance can be a stressful task. To get your commercial buildings ready for the season, take a look at this comprehensive checklist and use Property Maintenance Software to keep track of your winter maintenance jobs.

Inspect HVAC systems

Check your heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to make sure they’re working. Preventative HVAC maintenance is essential at this time of the year – you want to avoid as many repairs or replacements as possible, as there’s nothing worse than a cold building in winter. Arrange for your HVAC systems to be serviced and make sure the technicians change any filters that need to be replaced, clean drains and pipes, and check for gas leaks.

Check the property’s exterior.

It’s difficult to do repairs outside a building when the weather is terrible, so check the property’s exterior now to avoid fixing problems in stormy weather. Make sure the windows and doors are weatherproof, check the roof for loose shingles, the gutters for leaves, and trim back or remove branches that could fall and damage your property. Keep the areas around your building where people walk clear of snow and ice to avoid accidents where your tenants could be injured. Arrange for snow removal services throughout the season to regularly clear pathways.

Make sure buildings are well insulated.

To keep the heat in, make certain the building is well insulated. A poorly insulated property can increase your heating bill, which you’ll want to avoid as the price of gas continues to rise. Get a contractor to check your building’s insulation and ensure that the roof, windows, doors, floor, and walls are well insulated. Double glazed windows and doors can keep heat in the building, which is something to keep in mind for your property in the future.

Keep your smoke detectors working.

You should maintain your smoke detectors all year round, but it’s imperative to ensure they’re working during the winter months. During winter, tenants keep the building warm with heating. While central heating systems are reasonably safe, portable heaters and radiators can start a fire if they’re in contact with flammable furniture or clothing. You can test your smoke detectors by simply pressing the test button. If the alarm doesn’t work, you may need to replace the battery, get a new alarm, or get a fire alarm engineer to check the device for you.

Prevent frozen pipes

When pipes are frozen, it can be a real nuisance to have no running water. But frozen pipes aren’t only an inconvenience – they can be dangerous and experience too. When water is stuck inside a frozen pipe, it expands and puts pressure on the drain, which could burst the pipes and cause water damage. To protect your building and avoid expensive repairs, get a professional plumber to prepare your pipes for winter and prevent the cost of fixing frozen pipes in the middle of winter.

Stay on top of your checklist with Property Maintenance Software

It’s easy to lose track of your projects when you’re managing multiple winter maintenance jobs at a time. Make sure you get to every task before winter with Property Maintenance Software – a tool that makes it easier to create, assign and schedule maintenance jobs.

By admin