Common Apartment Problems to Make Residents Aware of for Autumn

With fall on the horizon, your residents need to be aware of certain problems that only come with the cooler temperatures ahead. While major maintenance issues on the property fall under your responsibility, such as some basic landscaping to prevent issues with heavy branches, there are problems that your tenants need to keep an eye on themselves.

Even if you do routine inspections in the fall, you might not catch everything, especially if you handle multiple properties. Meanwhile, your tenants are living inside and may notice when things seem off. Fall is the time to start weather-proofing for the winter, so make them aware of these common apartment problems this autumn.

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Drafts from Doors and Windows

First, make your residents aware of any potential drafts. Tell them to pay attention to the windows and doors, and if they are letting in any cool air. With general, everyday use, windows and doors can start to become drafty, especially as temperatures drop. If they are, you need to weatherproof these drafts so that temperatures don’t drop inside the unit and cause heat to run overtime. Fixing these drafts by filling any cracks and applying new and fresh weather stripping is an easy fix, especially if you and your residents catch it beforehand.

Tracking Mud Inside

Next, your tenant should be aware of what they track in on their shoes as temperatures get colder and the ground gets a little wetter. Not only will tracking mud inside give them more clean, but it can damage the floors, especially if you have wood floors. Urge them to get a water-absorbent mat by their front door that they can wipe and leave their shoes on instead of bringing everything throughout the apartment. This is a nice, simple fix to a problem that your residents can combat once aware of it!

Keep the Heat On

As temperatures continue to drop, your resident needs to keep the heat on, even if they go away for any length of time. It doesn’t need to be on super high, but they can not let it freeze inside the apartment. If it does, pipes are at risk of freezing and bursting, which not only damages the pipes but can also cause severe flooding, especially if not treated promptly.

It’s a good idea that you and your resident test the furnace and the hot water heater this autumn to make sure that everything is working properly. Neither of you wants to wait until extreme temperatures to find out it’s not working. By then, it may already cause damage, and it will be difficult and costly to get it fixed, especially if other people in the area also waited to check.

Locate the Water Shut-Off Valve

While speaking with your tenant and bringing these potential problems to their attention, it’s important that they know where the water shut-off valve for their apartment is. Tell them and show them where it is and exactly how to operate it. While hopefully they won’t need it, it’s imperative to know if the pipes do happen to burst.

While keeping the heat on, as mentioned above, should prevent this from happening, extreme temperatures and circumstances are always a possibility. If a pipe does happen to break, your resident needs to shut off the water as quickly as possible to prevent any further damage. If they need to wait for you to do it, the flooding can be dangerous to their well-being and detrimental to your property.

Pay Attention to Pest Infestations

As temperatures start to drop outside, common pests such as mice, squirrels, and even cockroaches try to seek shelter. Compared to the drafty outside, their apartment is nice and warm with the heat and insulation. Aside from the annoyance of their presence, they can also cause serious damage to your property.

Warn your residents that infestations are possible, and they need to keep an eye out for any signs of little intruders. While you can ensure that any and all possible entry points are sealed, your tenants need to be aware of the signs of infestations, such as animal droppings, nesting, unusual odors and sounds, and even strange pet behaviors. If your tenants are allowed and have pets, make them aware that they can and will act strangely if there happens to be an infestation. Tell them that as soon as they sense even one of these signs to let you know so that you can hire an exterminator to get a better opinion. You need to work together to stop an infestation before any severe damage this autumn.

Most common autumn apartment problems are easy to combat, so long as your residents are aware of this. They need to keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be wrong and be proactive to help you get ready for the colder seasons.