Making sure your rental property is prepared for a natural disaster is crucial if you want to minimize potential damages in the future. Whether your property is located in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, floods or snowstorms, by using our tips, your property will be prepared for any disaster.
Earthquakes
Falling objects during an earthquake can cause the most damages to your property. Whether it’s improperly secured built-in bookshelves or an unreinforced chimney, an earthquake can harm not only your rental, but your renters as well. If your property is in an earthquake prone zone, you’re going to want to use these steps to reduce potential damages in the future.
- Brace cripple walls
- Consider adding anchor bolts or steel plates between your property and its foundation
- Use flexible connection on gas and water lines
- Install latches on drawers and cabinet doors
- Brace the water heater
- Reinforce chimneys, masonry, and concrete walls
- Add plastic sleeves to any straight tube florescent lights
- Restrain small appliances like a microwave (if supplied)
Floods
Flooding can very easily ruin your rental property and so it’s important to take some time to analyze how water moves around your property. You can do this after a rainy day, and then take the necessary steps to try to direct the standing water elsewhere. If you’re seriously concerned about flood damage in basements or lower levels, consider investing in a battery-powered sump pump and talk to your renters about how they can use it to protect their own valuables. In the meantime, take these steps to insure your property is extra protected from floods.
- Make sure your in-home electrical (like sockets and wires) are above your property’s flood level
- Anchor and raise fuel tanks, air-conditioning units, generators, and water heaters to be above flood level
- Install backflow valves to your sewer system
- Repair cracks or leaks to the roof or foundation immediately
- Clear your gutters and drains
- Consider providing sandbags
Tornados & Hurricanes
Unusually enough, the steps you take to prepare your property for a tornado are similar to the preparation steps with hurricanes. Aside from installing storm shutters on your vacant property before a hurricane and insuring your basement is secure and clean before a tornado hits, these steps will help protect your home from damages occurred from both tornados and hurricanes.
- Secure doors with a 2-inch deadbolt lock and 3 hinges
- Insure the door’s frame is anchored well
- Brace garage doors with additional wooden or metal stiffeners
- Consider installing impact-resistant windows
- Make sure your roof is attached by hurricane clips
- Trim your trees back
Snowstorms, Blizzards, or the Extreme Cold
When it comes to snow, consider providing your renters with de-ice products (or a DIY recipes) to make sure your property’s external driveway, walkways, and steps are safe. It doesn’t hurt to provide your tenants with a shovel either. If your property has a basement, you’ll also want to look into a battery powered sump pump once all that ice melts and becomes standing water. To prevent your property from accruing other damages, utilize our checklist below.
- Insulate your property’s pipes (sprinklers included)
- Clean out your storm drain
- Winterize your outdoor deck or any provided furniture
- Repair cracks or leaks to the roof or foundation immediately
- Calk pipes and windows
- Cover external AC units
Learn how to protect your property from wildfires here.
In addition to preparing your property for natural disasters, you’ll want to encourage your renters to start their own preparations. From things like stockpiling emergency food and water rations to assembling an emergency kit, by urging your tenants to prepare themselves, you can further build your landlord-tenant relationship with them. By utilizing these steps, no matter what natural disaster hits you, you’ll be prepared.
Have any additional tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments section below & be sure to subscribe!
