Extreme weather is becoming more common, with flooding and severe storms on the rise.
Even if your income property isn’t located in a flood zone or a particularly hazardous area, more buildings are vulnerable to damage from extreme weather today than before. Hurricanes, snow storms, and severe thunderstorms are just a few of the weather events that can impact the DC area.
It’s essential to protect your DC property from extreme weather by being proactive about maintenance and ensuring your structure is secure. Here are a few simple steps you can take to keep your DC rental property safe from inclement weather events.
Secure Your Doors and Windows
Doors and windows are some of the most vulnerable parts of a structure. High winds can cause flying debris that can break glass, while windows and doors can leak or become drafty due to age. Securing your doors and windows can help protect your property.
While impact-resistant windows aren’t always necessary, it may be worth looking into if your windows need to be replaced and you want extra protection from storms. Steel doors are always a good choice for security against debris and heavy impacts.
Trim Surrounding Trees
If you have tall trees or bushes around your property, it’s important to have them trimmed as needed, at least once a year. Dead branches can quickly cause structural impairment to a roof or smash windows, leading to significant damage, especially if rain is involved.
Tree trimming is a relatively affordable and simple way to protect your property from impacts and reduce your liability as a landlord. You can also keep trees and bushes trimmed back from the house so that even live branches aren’t at risk of breaking and falling.
Have Your Roof Inspected
Your DC income property’s roof is one of its primary defenders against Mother Nature. Therefore, having your roof inspected by a professional roofing contractor is integral to ensuring that your structure is ready for high winds, hail, and debris.
A professional roofer can not only inspect your roof but conduct preventative maintenance and repairs to ensure your roofing system is durable and secure. Getting an inspection done at least once a year, if not twice, is best.
Have your roofer check the gutter system, including downspouts, to ensure proper water drainage while they are on-site.
Update Your Insurance Policy
The insurance policy you have for your income property may not cover damage from severe weather, and these policies don’t usually cover damage from floods. However, there are a few things you can do here:
- Ensure your policy is updated to include coverage for damage from severe weather, such as problems with your siding, windows, or roof.
- Require renter’s insurance for your tenants. This way, if there is a flood or damage from inclement weather, their items are covered.
- If your property is at risk of flooding, even if it’s not in a known flood zone, consider getting a separate policy for flood insurance.
Get Weather Reports for Your Area
Getting updates to your mobile device about the weather can let you know when there’s a severe storm coming so you can be prepared or notify tenants of things they may need to do to secure the property.
Being proactive about the weather is one of the best ways to protect your investment and ensure your tenants are safe, a gesture they will appreciate. It’s simple to set alerts via whatever weather app you use on your phone or tablet.
Stay Ready for the Weather With FAS
Stay ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store for the Washington, DC area with FAS Management. Our professional property managers are ready to assist you with proactively managing and securing your property from extreme weather. Give us a call today at (202) 337-5080.
