Our 5 Spring Maintenance Tips

Spring is the perfect time for landlords to take a close look at their rental properties after months of winter weather. Wind, rain, snow, and temperature swings can cause hidden damage that many owners won’t notice until problems become expensive repairs.

In this episode of the Your Landlord Resource Podcast, Kevin and I share the five spring maintenance tips we focus on every year to help protect our rentals. These inspections help identify small issues before they turn into major structural problems that can cost thousands of dollars to fix.

We talk about everything from inspecting roofs and cleaning gutters to checking mechanical systems like HVAC units and water heaters before summer arrives. We also explain why communicating with your tenants before inspections can help uncover problems you might otherwise miss.

Spring is also a great time to evaluate curb appeal, landscaping, and exterior safety issues such as loose railings, cracked walkways, and damaged siding. Even small maintenance tasks can make a big difference in protecting property value and keeping tenants safe and happy.

If you own rental property, these spring maintenance tips will help you stay proactive, reduce costly repairs, and keep your investment property running smoothly all year long.

LINKS & REFERENCES

FREE Spring Maintenance Checklist

Episode 4 – Importance of Rental Property Inspections

Episode 42: Deck and Balcony Safety Beyond California SB-721 

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Transcript

Kevin 0:00

And you guys, we have many instances where tenants will say the shower head is leaking, or the bathroom sink is draining slow. Or one of the plugs in the kitchen stopped working. Simple stuff we can fix right then and there. But the big one we got back as a response was telling us about an odd pile of sawdust that they kept finding in the same spot. Can you guess what that was? I'll give you a hint. We had another tenant report finding insect wings all over their unit. And that my friends, was how we found out the building had termites. So had we not asked them for feedback on any issues they have noticed, we could have had a much bigger problem on our hands.

Speaker 0:52

Welcome to Your Landlord Resource podcast. Many moons ago when I started as a landlord, I was as green as it gets. I may have had my real estate license, but I lack confidence and the hands-on experience needed when it came to dealing with tenants, leases, maintenance, and bookkeeping after many failed attempts. Fast forward to today, Kevin and I have doubled our doors and created an organized. Professionally operated rental property business. Want to go from overwhelm to confident if you're an ambitious landlord or maybe one in the making. Join us as we provide strategies and teach actionable steps to help you reach your goals and the lifestyle you desire. All well building is streamlined and profitable rental property business. This is Your Landlord Resource Podcast.

Stacie 1:41

Hey there, landlords. Thanks for tuning into the Your Landlord Resource Podcast. I'm Stacie Casella your host, and I'm here with my co-host Kevin Kilroy, who also happens to be my better half.

Kevin 1:53

Hi everyone. Thanks for being here today.

Stacie 1:57

So for anyone who might be new. And for anyone who may not know, Kevin and I are rental property owners ourselves. We currently own around 10 doors and are looking to add to that when the right property comes along. But, the one thing you may not realize is that we're also Realtors and do property management for others. So the good thing about listening to us is that we are required by law to know all the laws around real estate and tenants and property management, at least in the state of California anyway. But we are here to pass on what we have learned. You know, the good, the bad, and the ugly, to other self-managing landlords so that they can operate the rentals more confidently and professionally. And it's important to make this one thing clear though, that we're not part of a big property management company where we have huge staffs and personalized software to use. You know, we're, we're small time.

Kevin 3:04

But I think that's what makes our content so relatable. For the most part, we handle all of our own properties ourselves, with the exception of our contractor, Jim, who takes care of most specialized repair work. Things like plumbing, electrical, uh, appliance installs, and windows or door repairs, you know, the things that require a higher skill level. We do pretty much everything else. The cleaning, the painting, hanging light fixtures and ceiling fans. Changing out switches and plugs and plates. And I will tell you, we have learned a lot from Jim. Now we understand the importance of keeping an eye on a property. And what we don't really consider is that because we don't live at the actual property, we are not as on top of visually observing issues as we would in a property we are in and around day in and day out. So why does spring maintenance matter? Mostly because winter weather can cause hidden damages. Winter months bring wind, rain, snow, and temperature swings, and many problems will not show themselves until springtime rolls around. And you hear us say it over and over again, that inspections of your rental properties are so crucial. And spring really is the best time to do inspections because the worst of the weather is pretty much passed. Well, unless you live in the hurricane areas. But finding issues in the spring allows you plenty of time to schedule repairs. And preventative maintenance is much easier and less expensive to do than those emergency calls.

Stacie 4:51

Right. A small problem today can become a five figure repair next year. Seasonal property inspections help reduce repair costs and extend building life by identifying water damage, HVAC issues, and structural wear early on. Now, I don't wanna go off on inspections here. We have episodes where we discuss those at length, specifically episode four. So you can go listen to that by going to your landlord resource.com. episode 4 or click the link in our show notes. But one thing we do before the actual inspections is we notify the tenant about two weeks prior. And this is because we ask our tenants if they have any issues to report. And we will get specific and we'll ask, did you notice any leaks this winter? Any cold drafts? Did the windows or the doors stick? Are there any plumbing issues or are the appliances working okay? And this is so that if and when a tenant does come back with an issue, we have ample time to schedule the proper repair person to be there on our inspection day. Now, Jim is there anyway because he's checking stuff that we don't think about. But if there's a roof issue or an appliance issue, we need time to schedule those repair people. With us being on property when they come, it removes the hassle of the tenant having to meet these people, and then we aren't in a position where we hope that we're getting a proper report back on all the findings. This way, we or Jim are there to hear what they say and then we can create a solution right then and there.

Kevin 6:44

And you guys, we have many instances where tenants will say the shower head is leaking, or the bathroom sink is draining slow. Or one of the plugs in the kitchen stopped working. Simple stuff we can fix right then and there. But the big one we got back as a response was telling us about an odd pile of sawdust that they kept finding in the same spot. Can you guess what that was? I'll give you a hint. We had another tenant report finding insect wings all over their unit. And that my friends, was how we found out the building had termites. So had we not asked them for feedback on any issues they have noticed we could have had a much bigger problem on our hands. Luckily it was caught very early, so no structural damage was found, but of course we had to tent the whole place and that was a total pain in the butt. But the thing is, you are likely not living in the rental property and have no idea these things are happening. So lean on those who do live there to give you the information you need to be proactive. If nothing else just the task of asking shows your tenants you care about the property and their comfort while living there. Anyway, we can talk forever on that, but let's get to today's topic, and that's the five spring maintenance tips you should focus on. First up, inspect the roof and draining system. You want to look at the roof to check for missing shingles, or lifted shingles that can happen in strong winds. Look for missing vents or chimney caps. Moss growth is another important one. One that we had on the roof of our personal house. And look in the eaves or in vent holes that are missing the vents to make sure there is no evidence of animals nesting. Roof damage allows water penetration, and that can lead to mold, rot, and pest infestation. You know, tenants rarely see roof problems because the roof is outta sight.

Stacie 8:56

Yeah, and, and we know this firsthand because one time our neighbor let us know that a branch had literally pierced the roof and was sticking out like a five foot long branch that was like two inches wide, it was big. But because they let us know, we were able to get Jim over there to investigate it. So he called his roofer, we got repaired and we never even had to be there, you know, but it was, it was a pretty crazy sight to see those photos.

Kevin 9:23

Yeah, we got those pictures and we're like, what the heck happened? And more interesting, how did the tenant not hear that? Well, come to find out he was outta town and the impact of the storm was more of wind than rain, so no issues luckily with the roof leaking.

Stacie 9:42

Yeah, and, and good thing we have good neighbors, right? All right, so let's move on. One thing we learned was the importance of cleaning the gutters and downspouts. And you might be thinking, yeah, okay, we get gutters, but why the downspouts?, Because when those get clogged with debris or nests of rodents, the water will not drain from the roof. When the water gathers on the roof, that could mean two leaks and eventual dry rot. So there was one time we had my uncle's tenant call and let us know that the garage roof which was pretty much flat, was filled with water after some rain. So we go over to check it out and there's one downspout for the garage, but it had no water coming out of it. So Kevin gets up on the roof and he's trying to see if there were any leaves or debris up there that was clogging it from the top, which there wasn't. So after some head scratching, we decided to take the hose and shove it down from the top to see if there was something inside. And boy was there. It was around I, I don't even know what to call it. A pod?

Kevin 10:55

Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good way to describe it. I believe we found out it was a spiked ball or pod from a Liquidambar tree.

Stacie 11:04

Yeah, it was. It was something like that. But anyway, so this pod from a neighbor's tree somehow made its way into the downspout, and then along with the leaves and the mud and the muck completely clogged the downspout. So I'm at the bottom keeping an eye on the spout, and all of a sudden it lets loose. And the bottom half of me got completely soaked from many gallons of water that started draining out.

Kevin 11:33

That was funny. I mean, and here we are at an occupied rental. I mean, pretty much right in their backyard, and she starts screaming. I mean, I was up on the ladder of, of course, laughing at her.

Stacie 11:47

Yeah, I know. It was totally stupid of me. What did I think was gonna happen?

Kevin 11:51

Well, just goes to show how much confidence you have in me to fix the issue, right?

Stacie 11:56

Yeah. I guess that's the, that's the bottom line. You guys, it was like someone took a fire hose that was laying on the ground and pointed it right at me. I think we actually have it on video. Yeah. The things we do for content, right? But anyway, we had the exact same thing happen in Sacramento one year, and that time it actually deformed the shape of the gutter as it like it ballooned out. So now we pay someone to come and clean those gutters because they have the hoses and the tools, and they can get it done quickly and easily. But bottom line, you wanna clean your gutters, flush your downspouts, and check everything for rust or leaks.

Kevin 12:39

Actually, just a month ago when we were up in Idaho, we had to do some work on the downspout that a dog had chewed up. I mean, gee, we sure do love our tenants having pets, right?

Stacie 12:50

The thing was completely chewed shut. So that was kind of a pain.

Kevin 12:55

You kept it, didn't you?

Stacie 12:56

I did.'cause I wanna do a video to show our followers why they need to check their downspouts.

Kevin 13:02

Yeah, well better get on that. Alright, let's move on to our next tip, and that is to check the exterior structure. Some of this is for safety reasons as well. Start with the siding and windows. You're going to wanna look at things like loose siding, cracks in the foundation or walkways, water intrusion, and torn window screens. Loose siding can lead to water intrusion behind the walls and lead to dry rot, or believe it or not, termite damage. Termites like to find small cracks and holes to get into and make their nests. Same with insects like bees. Kid two had a wasp nest behind his siding on the duplex in Boise. You also want to check any exterior stairways, balconies, or decks. So check the railings to make sure they're not loose. Cracked boards that could break loose. Pop nails that can be tripping hazards. Dry rot, of course, which is very common on the supports for wood decks. That's exactly what we'll be dealing with next on our personal home. We have two supports or joists that when they were built did not include the metal flashing that keeps water from getting in from the top, and eventually they dry rotted. So now we have to pull all the deck boards, the railing, and chip away the stucco and replace not just the two, but all 14 supports to make sure they are properly waterproofed and we won't have that happen again.

Stacie 14:38

Yeah, and I won't go into it too much, but the state of California has a law now where rental properties and condos that have stairs, decks, or balconies over six feet off the ground, have to be inspected. And for those of you with rentals in other states, before you go thinking, well, that's California and it doesn't apply to me, you should make sure your state does not have a law like this in place. For us, it was enacted when several college students were killed when a deck collapsed during a party. But we did some research and found that the same thing happened in several other states, and laws have been proposed there as well. So if you want to learn more about this, we did an episode all about it. Check out episode 42 at yourlandlordresource.com episode 42. These inspections are recommended for a reason, and your proactive maintenance could save you from extensive damage down the line or even a lawsuit if someone gets hurt. Should I just finish this one out?

Kevin 15:45

Yeah, go for it.

Stacie 15:46

Okay. The last thing you should be inspecting on the exterior is your walkways in your driveway if you have one. You want to look for lifted concrete and cracks. Essentially, you know you're looking for trip hazards. If you find something, do something immediately to mark it. Use bright colored tape or spray paint to bring it to people's attention. You also should email your tenants to include a photo so that they know where that issue is, but then of course, schedule to get it repaired as soon as possible. You want to do all of this because should someone trip and fall, courts will consider whether a landlord attempted to mitigate the risk or not. And bottom line, cover your butt in every possible way.

Kevin 16:35

Yeah. We had several places in Sacramento with large cracks and lifted concrete. And there are companies that can come out and do the work fairly inexpensively.

Stacie 16:45

Yeah.'cause if you remember, the same thing happened to the sidewalks in front of our personal home. In our city, we are responsible for the care of the sidewalks all the way to the street. And because there were so many in our neighborhood, the city hired a company to go around and grind the raised parts down. And I think each resident had to pay like$200 bucks or something.

Kevin 17:08

Yeah, well that's less than what a half hour of our lawyer's time costs, so I'll take that amount any day over having to pay for a potential lawsuit.

Stacie 17:16

Yeah, exactly right. Alright, moving on. Tip number three and that is to check your mechanical systems and safety devices. Every spring, no matter what, we have our air conditioning tech out to service the air conditioners. He turns'em on, he checks to make sure the condenser's working correctly. He checks the temperature inside the unit to make sure it's cooling down properly, and if not, you know, he'll add free onto the unit. Some advice that we have here is do not wait until the AC starts to act up in the middle of a heat wave, because you will have a very hard time getting someone there to service it at that point. We also changed the air filters. And quick tip, put the date on the filter so you know when it was changed last, then take a photo of it so you can have a record. Now, I do realize that your lease likely says the tenant is responsible for changing the air filters. So is ours. And I can honestly say that in 20 years of doing this, I can count on one hand how often we have gone in and the tenant has already done this. So if you want your heater and your air conditioning units to run as efficiently as possible and not have issues, just change the filter out once or twice a year when you go in for your inspections.

Kevin 18:40

Yeah, and to back up that point, what about up in Idaho? They're delivered air filters I believe it's every quarter.

Stacie 18:47

Once a quarter.

Kevin 18:48

Once a quarter. And when we go in there to flip over a unit, whether it's one or two or three years. We look inside that closet and there's a stack up to the ceiling of all the air filters that were delivered. And they're not even out of the boxes.

Stacie 19:02

No. I think the record we found was seven.

Kevin 19:05

Yeah. Another mechanical to check on is the water heater. Check the bottom of it for rust or corrosion, leaks, or sediment buildup. For us, knock on wood, our water heaters have lasted for 20 years plus. I believe because they're electric, but not sure on that, so don't hold me to it. But water heaters usually last eight to 12 years, and there's usually a tag or a sticker on it with the data was manufactured to give you an idea of how old it is. If you are nearing that 10 year mark, you should make sure you are financially prepared to change that water heater out. Next up are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Again, our lease states the tenants are supposed to check these monthly. No idea if they do, but for each inspection, we are testing them and once a year we replace all the batteries.

Stacie 20:03

Yeah. And another tip, when we change those batteries, we put a date on those too and we take a picture of it for our files. And that is because if your tenant disables that smoke detector, and believe us they do it all the time. If that detector is disabled and there's a fire, you are gonna have to prove the last time that you checked it and changed the batteries. Again, this is a total situation of covering your butts guys.

Kevin 20:30

Right. Thankfully, we have never had issues with having to deal with that. Now the next thing that goes with checking the mechanicals is inspecting your plumbing. And I'll be honest here, this is one thing we leave for Jim to inspect. He checks under sinks, toilets, all visible pipes, and in the crawlspaces looking for visible leaks, moisture, mold, and musty smells. Alright, tip number four, check your landscaping and irrigation systems. Now in areas with freezing temps, your irrigation is likely blown out to avoid broken pipes. But if not, since your sprinklers likely haven't been run since fall, turn them on and check for pooling of water or broken sprinkler heads. Oh, and you want to look at the spray patterns on the sprinklers as well. You don't want them watering the sidewalks or spraying the house instead of the lawn or flower beds. This is also when you should be checking the landscaping to see if any shrubs or trees need to be pruned. Trim those branches away from the roof, siding, or windows. And look at any large limbs hanging over the driveway. Now, we mentioned earlier how a large branch pierced the roof of the sixplex in Sacramento. That wasn't from one of our trees, you guys. It came from at least two houses over because that's where the next trees are. Ours are small little trees that don't have very large branches. And it was covered in moss, which means the homeowner was not checking their trees for dead branches to remove.

Stacie 22:10

Yeah, and also our pest control company let us know that termites love dead wood. So the second time we had termites was when they were found by the pest control company who was doing an inspection for us. They found him in a tree stump of an old dead tree that was removed before we even bought the property. That tree stump was right up next to the building and led to the second occurrence of termites infesting our property. Same goes with dead tree branches and dry rotted wood, termites love those.

Kevin 22:45

Yeah, live and learn, I guess. I mean, hoping we never have to deal with that issue again.

Stacie 22:51

Every other year we have our pest control company come out to do a full inspection. And for us, I think they charge around 375 bucks. And that's for the whole building. So crawl spaces, the perimeter, they check under every sink and toilet for leaks because, water leads to dry rot, which termites love. So they inspect where any water could be leaking and could cause a potential issue. And for us that fee is worth every penny.

Kevin 23:19

Yeah. And this is the year they come out again, right?

Stacie 23:23

Yeah. I need to get those inspections scheduled here pretty soon.

Kevin 23:27

Alright, moving on. Spring is a great time to do some lawn care. So think about aerating and fertilizing the lawn or re-seeding any dead patches. And if you do hire someone to do your landscaping, ask them to do this for you on one of their visits. If your tenant is responsible for lawn care, make sure that it is written in your lease, exactly what they should be doing and when. In spring, send them an email with reminders or a checklist. And if they do not want to handle the landscaping, you can always offer to hire someone on their behalf and charge them a fee. This way, you manage the service being done and the tenant pays for it.

Stacie 24:10

All right, you guys, we have one more tip for you and that one is focused on curb appeal. And many of you who own single family home rentals might be thinking, well, I'm not responsible for the upkeep of the property the tenant is. And where that might be the case, I think that is somewhat limited. A tenant usually is not gonna take the time and energy to do some of the things that are beyond their general expertise. Yeah, they're gonna mow the lawn, they're gonna sweep up the leaves, you know they're gonna de-ice walkways and maybe even plant a few flowers. What they will not do, and should not be responsible for, are things like touching up paint, resealing wood decks, stairs or fences. Getting on ladders to change out light bulbs for motion sensor lights up high, or even cleaning windows or power washing the exterior, which is something we do every other year. In multi-family properties. It's unlikely tenants will do anything at all. So add to that list clean the patio and outdoor furniture and check the barbecue to make sure it's working correctly. We mentioned in a previous episode that this is something that Kid Three has helped us with before. While we were working on a unit, he rolled up his pants and he cleaned the back patio by getting all the cobwebs off the furniture, he washed down the concrete, which made a huge difference and sprayed the porches off for all the tenants and shook out their doormats.

Kevin 25:39

Yeah, that worked out really well. I mean, he made some extra money for a few hours work, and we were able to use our time flipping the unit. The best part was when we were doing showings for the vacant unit many people commented on how well kept the patio was.

Stacie 25:55

Yeah, exactly. You might not think that curb appeal is a big deal, but a little here and a little there makes a big difference over time. It keeps the neighbors happy when your property is kept up, and it helps the tenants feel like you care about the property that they come home to each day. And it does really help protect your property values.

Kevin 26:17

We know personally that when you have paint that is chipped or peeling, if you don't address that issue right away, it just gets worse and worse. Not only does it look bad, you'll have a lot more work to do if you put it off. And for us, we are not doing the work ourselves, so the cost has gone up significantly because there was more work for the painter to do. And I know we said five tips, but I have one more I want to add in. When you are at your property, make sure you do quick checks on your basements, attics, or any hidden spaces. You want to look for standing water, see if you can smell any must or see any mold or mildew. And check for pest activity like rodent droppings, which we absolutely have had in our attic space. It's not uncommon for rats, birds, squirrels, or raccoons to get into the attic space and wreak havoc. When we had the Chico Single family house, there was something crawling around up there when when we finally were able to find out the point of entry, it was like a teeny, tiny little one inch hole, and it was pretty gross. I mean, the pest guy showed us the mark on the hole up there. When they squeezed through, it left a ring of oil around the hole from their fur.

Stacie 27:38

Oh God. Yeah. That was, we were lucky that they didn't chew up any wires or anything when they were in that attic.

Kevin 27:43

Right. But you see you guys, we had a small hole that we did not see from the ground. It was found by hiring a pest control company to go inspect the property. And then after we got the rodents out and closed up the hole, we had to hire someone to go in and clean up the feces left behind and inspect the area for any damages.

Stacie 28:04

Yep. And then we had to cut the branches from the trees that hung over the roof because that's how those rodents were getting access to go in there. And it was a total pain in the butt and it cost us time and quite honestly, a pretty penny to resolve that issue. But it could have been much worse if we had done nothing. All right, I want to end this episode by letting you all know that we have a free three page spring maintenance checklist for you guys. We think it's going to help you stay organized and on task. It includes what you need to do to prepare two weeks before the inspection, a tool checklist, an interior and exterior inspection list. And ideas on how you can spruce up your property. You can download it for free by going to your landlord resource.com/spring maintenance list. Or you can click the link that we have down in our show notes.

Kevin 29:01

That's something that's really good to keep in your annual maintenance binder too. It allows you to refer to it each spring to remind yourself of what needs to be done for your inspections.

Stacie 29:11

Yeah, it's a good one for sure. All right you guys. So spring maintenance is not just about repairs. It helps you protect your property value, prevent expensive repairs, and keeps your tenant safe and feeling satisfied. And that's our show for today. If you enjoyed this episode, would you do us a favor? Could you please leave a kind review of the podcast? Reviews help others find out that we're the real deal. And if you want to hear more, follow or subscribe to the podcast so that each week the episodes are downloaded right to your favorite podcast platform. We have newsletters, free guides, and a private Facebook landlord page. So if you want ot learn more, just check out our show notes for this or any episode. Thanks again for sharing your time with us. We really appreciate you being here. Until next time, you've got this landlords.