Winterizing Your Rental Properties: Do You Need To Do It?

What every property manager needs to know about making sure their house is set up for a safe winter.

Not so fun fact — at least, if you’re a landlord: every year, winter storms cause billions of dollars worth of damage to homes in America. In 2021, that total was over 15 billion. 

Sure, that number was inflated because of the blizzards that hit Texas in 2021. But there are two ways to look at that: you can write it off as a freak occurrence; or you can accept that the climate is changing on a global scale, and that it is increasingly difficult to predict what winter will hold for any and every biome.  So even if your property is located in a climate that typically doesn’t experience harsh winter weather, you can’t be sure the years to come will be typical. 

That’s why we encourage every homeowner to be familiar with the basics of home winterization. 

Many of the tasks associated with winterization you can accomplish on your own.  Some, though, take a level of expertise that your average homeowner does not possess. And considering how high the stakes are, it’s worth finding an expert who can help.

Benefits of Winterizing Your Rental Property

Save energy

Efficient furnaces will still waste energy (and dollars!) if your home has air leaks. A well-maintained heating system, well-sealed windows and doors, and quality insulation won’t just keep your residents warm and toasty, they will also save on energy costs. 

Prevent frozen pipes

Pipes are likely to freeze if weather dips below 20 degrees fahrenheit. Don’t wait until a cold front is predicted - by then it may be too late! 

Prevent pests

Critters that would normally avoid being close to humans may creep closer as the weather grows cold. Spraying for bugs, sealing holes and air leaks, and cleaning your chimney can help avoid extra “guests” during the winter. 

Avoid maintenance emergencies 

If your rental home’s heater breaks during cold weather, you are likely legally obligated to get it repaired within 24 hours in most states. These maintenance emergencies are not only annoying and unsafe for your residents, they are also costly for you! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - schedule regular maintenance on furnace and HVAC systems before winter sets in.

Do I Really Need to Winterize My Rental Property?

Will these benefits of “winter proofing” apply to you? There are three main factors to consider when preparing for winter as a rental home owner: local climate, home vacancy, and landscaping. 

If your home will need to be heated

Even milder climates (i.e. Texas or California) may want to consider basic winterization, but locations with snow and ice should definitely expect to prepare their property for the harsher months. A good litmus test is if your residents will likely use heat for the majority of the winter. Even climates without snow can be cold enough to impact energy usage and plumbing. 

If you have water features in the landscaping

Ponds, waterfalls, pools, or any other water feature exposed to the elements should be winterized in most cases. A frozen pipe in a decorative landscaping feature can still cost you big bucks and plenty of headaches! 

If the home will be vacant for awhile 

This is especially relevant for short-term rentals (and one reason we suggest considering long-term rental properties instead). If you expect your property to be vacant for longer than 7 consecutive days over the winter, you should prioritize winterization. 

6 Tasks You Can Do Yourself

1. Clean the gutters

Think about it: all those leaves that have been falling off the trees have to end up somewhere. And those wet leaves can cause interior leaks and roof damage that occur because the water isn’t directed away from your house, and can end up getting behind shingles or window frames.

2. Caulk the Windows

Not only can wind get through any cracks in your caulking, but heat can also get out. In both cases, the bottom line is your bottom line is negatively impacted: you have to pay more for heat to compensate. That’s one of the reasons we encourage self-managers to pay attention to the state of the caulk in their rental homes. 

3. Tend to the Backyard

You have to anticipate the damage winter storms can do to your property in general, not just the house itself.  Start with tree limbs – and entire trees – that are vulnerable to strong winds. Tree work can be expensive, so we advise you to get estimates that prioritize the trees closest to the house. Pay special attention to large trees that may require cables to hold together split trunks.

Make sure you move any outdoor furniture you have inside, or tie it down with bungee cords, or else they might become projectiles in windy conditions. The same goes for your grill. If you have a deck, you might want to give it an extra layer of sealant to protect it from the weather.  

4. Turn off and drain water features 

While you’re in the backyard, be sure to shut off the water supply to hoses and water features, as well as drain them if they are full of water already. Even outdoor frozen pipes can be costly to repair and create a chain of plumbing issues. 

5. Check carbon monoxide detectors

As your residents start running their furnace or space heaters, the risk fo carbon monoxide poisoning increases. A simple way to ensure they are kept safe is to annually check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. 

6. Clean or replace furnace filters

This is an example of simple maintenance that you can do even if you’re not particularly “handy.” Most furnace manufacturers have helpful videos online showing you exactly how to check the status of the filters you have, and clean or replace them if needed.

3 times to call in the pros 

1. Insulate the house

Not only is it necessary in terms of making the house habitable during the colder months, but insulation can dramatically save on heating – as well as air-conditioning. The payback time can be as little as six months – or as long as three years, which really isn’t long at all.

In terms of immediate benefits, proper insulation is critical in terms of protecting your pipes. A little physics 101: in winter, water freezes, turning into ice; during that process, it expands. The added pressure can cause pipes to burst, which is not only a costly and time-consuming fix, it could cause damage to the property itself. 

It’s one of those situations where it doesn’t pay to cheap out: the stakes are so high that even if you could install the necessary insulation, we’d still recommend you call in someone to help. Because even a crack in a wall in an inopportune place is costing you real money.

2. Install storm doors and windows

This is another situation where the downside is so significant that we recommend you get some help, even if you know what you’re doing. Because not only will a storm door fail to accomplish its job of protecting the house from the elements if it’s even a centimeter misaligned, but if it comes off its hinges in the middle of the storm, it can even injure someone. 

3. Get the roof inspected

The gutters you can probably handle yourself, but in preparation for winter, you should have someone inspect the roof of your rental property, too – if it hasn’t been done for a while.

Have them look for mossy buildup, loose shingles, and any other signs of deterioration. A good roofer will also inspect the attic for signs of leakage, and to make sure there isn’t any mildew or mold building up. They should also clear off any debris that’s accumulated over the warmer months. Finally, as we mentioned, they should make sure that there aren’t any overhanging branches that a winter storm can blow off and onto the roof; not only is it a potentially life-threatening situation for your tenants, but it will also cost an arm, leg, and tree-limb to fix. 

Let Belong make maintenance worries a thing of the past

Belong makes worrying about maintenance and upkeep a thing of the past. Belong's 24/7 concierge service puts over 10,000 professional contractors at your fingertips, ready to help whenever you need them. And if you need regular services like snow removal, gutter cleaning or lawn maintenance, we can set up a subscription for these reoccuring services. You can even spread the payments over your lease, keeping you cash flow positive.

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