Holiday Season Safety Tips for Rental Owners
It is the time of the year when we spread joy and cheer, exchange gifts and light up the whole town. Precisely, it is a period of festivity. However, it’s also a period that calls for caution for rental owners. In other words, the period is characterized by a heightened risk of fires, injuries, and theft among others. Due to this reason, even as you share in warm holiday greetings with your tenants, you might also want to stress on the following safety tips:
- Holiday lights
The holiday season wouldn’t be half as good without the holiday lights. What may be a lackluster neighborhood in the other times of the year comes to life with lights in the holiday season. Unbeknownst to many, these lights can lead to accidents and fires. To avoid such incidents, when stringing lights in the outdoors, ensure that they are meant for outdoor use. Also, only use a GFCI outlet to power them. The extension cords should also be fashioned for outdoor use.
Before hanging the lights, be on the lookout for frayed wires, bad connections and broken sockets on the cords and lights. Throw away or replace all damaged sets. The lights should also be certified and tested in an independent lab. Finally, on power sources, steer off attaching strings of lights exceeding three to the same extension cord or electric outlet.
- Christmas
Did you know that Christmas Trees are linked to over 200 fires every year? Therefore, calls for caution. The National Fire Protection Association suggests going with a fresh and green tree or an artificial one that is fire retardant. Additionally, they should keep the tree at least three feet from heat sources such as fireplaces, candles, and radiators. If the tree is fresh, water it daily. When going out or retiring to bed, they should unplug or turn off the tree lights. Finally, they should get rid of the trees when they dry off and start dropping needles.
- Candles
Candles are also a fire risk during the holiday season. To avoid fires, encourage tenants not to use them on or near greenery, especially evergreens. Also, they should not leave lit candles unattended. If possible, they should go for battery operated candles to spice up their decor.
- Theft
In this season, thieves are after homes that have loads of expensive holiday gifts. The key is not to give off such signs. How do you do this? First, advise the tenants never to place gifts near the windows. Also, dispose off boxes that housed expensive goodies. They should avoid leaving these boxes on alleys or curbs as they might attract attention from the wrong crowd. They can, for example, break down these boxes and stow them away in trash bags or take them out only in the night just before trash collection.
If some tenants are not around town during the holiday season, they can have the lights on timers and suspend the delivery of newspapers and mail. Also, as a landlord, remind your tenants to brief you if they will be out for extended periods of time.
- Safety Equipment
Now, if the tenants are keen to follow the safety tips, they should be safe alongside your property. However, to be sure to check the safety equipment. Ensure that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors found in your rental are correctly installed and that they are in working order. As for the fire extinguishers, inspect, refill or replace any as needed.
- Roof
During this season, tenants are likely to put up lights on the roof. This either heightens the danger of a tenant getting injured or damaging the roof. As such, share the guidelines that you have on putting up roof decorations. Also, encourage them to be cautious when using ladders when decorating the place.
Let the holiday season be nothing short of a cheerful time by ensuring that your tenants are safe. Are you looking to have your property under management? At lapmg, we offer property management services and leave you to other pursuits. Check us out here.
