Summer is just around the corner which means – you guessed it – it’s time to add summer maintenance to your to-do list. As the change of seasons peaks property repairs and maintenance (like heightened water usage, common household pests, and overgrowing landscaping), take a few preventative steps to make sure your property stays in tip-top shape through these hot months.

Manage Landscaping

The bulk of summer maintenance consists of making sure the exterior of your property is being maintained. Like landscaping that’s typically done with the change of each season, here are a few things to add to your to-do list before it gets too hot out.

• Clean gutters and check the condition of your roof
• Get your air conditioning unit serviced
• Check windows for leaks and inspect caulk and seals
• Check for loose or damaged window screens
• Check the foundation for visible issues
• Test your sprinkler system
• Perform weed control, prune and trim trees & bushes

Reduce Water

If you’re covering your renter’s water bill or are paying the bills of a vacancy, summer can hurt your wallet significantly. To ease up on water waste, take a tip out of our Water Conservation Guide and replace outdated faucets, showerheads and appliances with water efficient models. You can also install aerators on your faucets, which adds a mesh screen over your water stream. As a rule of thumb, while performing water maintenance, check to see if your plumbing is okay. As you know, leaks (even the smallest ones) can rack up quite a bill. Finally, you’re going to want to reset your sprinkler timer so that you aren’t watering your landscaping during peak hot times of the day. You don’t want all that precious water to evaporate. If you’re concerned about your landscaping water costs, you could always transition to Xeriscape or low-water plants.

Be Wary of Bees and Wasps

Along with summer comes seasonal pests. While the type of pest depends on your location and climate, one of the most common summer-time pests are bees and wasps. If you find an infestation on your property, be sure to notify your tenants (if they do not already know) and hire a pest control team. As many species of bees are currently endangered, compare the prices for a safe bee removal service instead of a typical exterminating service.

While working on maintaining your property over Summer, take a look at your internal processes as well. Have you set up an organizational system for next year’s taxes? Are you still paying to have tenant screening and online rental applications? Do you use good security measures (like password protections and locks) to insure your tenant’s identity doesn’t get stolen? Make an effort to upgrade not only your property but your internal practices before eying your next summer vacation.

How do you prepare your property for the summer months? Are there any pests specific to your region that you have to be wary of? Let us know in the comment section and subscribe for more helpful tips and tricks!