Prevent Water Damage In Your Unoccupied Vacation Rental Home This Winter
If you have a vacation rental property that is not currently occupied, you need to make sure that your vacation property is secure in order to prevent water damage throughout the winter. Schedule a day this fall to go out to your property and secure it for the winter. Here are a few things you need to do to prevent water damage from occurring while you are securing your property for the off-season.
Check For Signs Of Damage
The first thing you need to do is check and make sure that your property does not have any water damage that you need to fix before you secure your property. Check your basement and make sure that it is dry and not moist and damp. Check all of your walls and ceilings and make sure that there are not any watermarks on them. Look under the cupboards at all of your plumbing and make sure there are no pools of water. Finally, pay attention to your sense of smell, and make sure your house does not smell moldy or musty.
If you find any signs of damage, immediately call up a water damage and restoration company to help you fix the issue.
Clean The Gutters
Keeping your vacation house safe from water damage starts with taking care of your roof. Remove any debris or branches that have fallen on your roof. Then, clean out your gutters. If your gutters are full of debris, then the rain water will not flow properly through your gutter and drainage system and away from your house. To minimize gutter cleaning time in the future, you should look into installing a net or guard over your gutter that will keep debris out.
Make sure that all of your gutters are secure and are not loose. If they are loose, use a few nails to secure them in place. Make sure that your downspouts are secure against your home as well, and that they are not broken or compromised. If they are, purchase replacement pieces at your local home improvement store.
Shut Off Your Water Heater
Next, to prevent unnecessary water damage, turn your water heater off and make sure that there are not any leaks around your water heater. If your water heater is newer, you may be able to turn it to the vacation mode setting as well. This keeps your water heater running, but greatly reduces the energy it will use when your home is unoccupied.
Shut Off The Water To Your House
If you know that no one will be renting or using the house during the winter months, you should turn off the water main to your entire house. That way, there is no chance of water leaking out of pipes or pipes bursting while your vacation home is unoccupied. You should also turn off the water valves to all of your major appliances, such as your dishwasher, fridge and washing machine to ensure that everything is really shut down.
Finally, since water damage can happen quickly and the ramifications can be large if left unchecked, find a friend or neighbor, or hire a property management company, to check up on your vacation rental if you do not live nearby.
By taking the proper steps, your vacation home will most likely not sustain any water damage this winter. Just make sure you take a day this fall to secure your rental property. For more tips, contact a company like Aquatech Well Drilling & Pumps Inc.