Holiday Safety Tips for Dallas Landlords
The holiday season isn’t the merriest time for landlords in Dallas. If you rent out your property to tenants, you already know that silver bells and tinsel usher in a season with increased risks for slips, falls, fires, and other household accidents. Beat the risks by staying ahead of dangers.
These three holiday safety tips for Dallas landlords from Classic Property Management could help you see your property into a brighter new year!
1. Get Your Tenant’s Kitchen Ready for Holiday Baking
Talk to your tenant about a pre-holiday safety inspection for the kitchen that ensures they can confidently make turkey, stuffing, pies, and holiday cookies. This is also a good time to see if any appliances require maintenance or replacement.
The minimum is to ensure that all smoke alarms are working. In addition, you can pass along the following safety reminders in a holiday checklist:
- Never leave the kitchen unattended when food is cooking!
- Keep utensils and debris away from burners.
- Always keep children several feet away from a hot stove.
Do your tenants know how to put out a grease fire? A shocking number of people believe throwing water on flames is the right answer. Consider printing out this guide to how to put out a kitchen fire from the United States Consumer Protection Agency for your tenant.
2. Pass Along Safe Decorating Tips
Landlords in Dallas don’t want to be Scrooges for the holidays! While banning decorations seems heartless, landlords should create some guidelines for what’s permitted. The holiday season is a great time to remind tenants of your property’s open-flame policy.
Rather than allowing wax candles, mitigate the risk of a devastating house fire with battery-operated alternatives.
Also, it’s beneficial to suggest that renters inspect all decorations for wear, tear, and fraying that could make them dangerous. Recommend they discard or not use any older decorations with damage that increase flammable potential.
If electronic decorations are in use, renters should remember a couple key points. Never overload outlets and always turn off electronics before going to bed or leaving the residence.
Remind tenants that all good things must come to an end. It’s reasonable to ask for the removal of exterior holiday décor after Feb. 1.
Exterior decorations left up past the holidays increase fires, property damage, and vandalism risks.
3. Do a Perimeter Check
Winter is a good time to inspect your property’s exterior for damage and hazards. Fall storms can cause weak points that are only exacerbated by cold temperatures and snowfall. A basic checklist should include the following:
- Remove dead trees or branches that could fall on the property.
- Inspect chimneys
- Check that gutters are free of debris
- Check that hoses are put away
- Check that spouts are covered
Landlords in Dallas should also look for crumbling walkways or driveways that could become dangerous when concealed by snow or ice. Of course, ensuring that you have plans for snow and ice removal lined up long before the first flake falls is also important. Before the holidays, tenants should already be under contract for snow removal services for their rental properties.
However, if you are a first-time landlord and need help securing the right vendors for renter emergencies throughout the winter, a property management team can help you secure the right vendors that help you save money and keep your property safe.
Get Through the Winter as a Dallas Landlord With Classic Property Management
The best gift you can give yourself as a Dallas landlord is knowing that your property will get through the holidays safely.
If managing your property on your own is simply putting too much on your plate this holiday season, consider signing into the new year with a company offering professional property management in Dallas.
Serving dozens of communities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Classic Property Management provides a corporate commitment to personal service, integrity, and innovation in property management.
Our unified efforts ensure that every detail of your property is expertly handled while you live a life beyond your role as landlord. We’ve been the preferred company for managing positive tenant-landlord relationships in Dallas-Fort Worth since 1987!
Contact us today for more information!
