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Leaves in the Gutters? Clean ‘Em Up!

Logan Rain Gutter Full of Leaves Being Cleaned OutAs autumn draws near and the leaves start to drop, this can prompt gutters to be filled with multi-colored leaves. To frequently keep your Logan rental property in great standing, it is best to have the task of cleaning gutters a regular part of your property maintenance routine. But who should be responsible for cleaning them out? Even though demanding your tenant to do the chore may seem like a wonderful idea, there are important reasons why you should not have them perform regular gutter maintenance. Even if they look like they know what they are doing, asking a tenant to clean your rental property’s gutters could lead to serious injury or property damage, both of which could result in expensive problems later.

Functioning gutters are an essential part of preventing expensive repairs. Overflowing gutters can lead to damaged foundations, roofs, and other structural elements of the property. They can even attract insects and other pests, aside from other health hazards like mold. When gutters are not cleaned on a regular basis, they can cause annoying problems that you might not be able to detect until it’s too late already.

Cleaning gutters is not a difficult task, but it does take a stretch and an intuition of how to achieve it suitably.  The right equipment is required, and proper safety procedures should be observed. Most gutters can be cleaned with a ladder, hose or sprayer, and a trowel or plastic scoop. Taking advantage of these tools, you can easily remove large debris from the gutters to keep water flowing in the right direction. It’s urgent that you move debris away from the downspout and check vertical pieces of the gutter for blockages. Flushing these parts with a hose can be quite effective in most cases. Some tactics may use a power washer to get the more stubborn dirt out of gutters and downspouts but must be used with care or risk damaging the gutters or even the house itself.

This is only part of why asking your tenant to perform gutter maintenance is not a good idea. Your tenant may not understand how to clean a gutter without damaging it, or even without causing damage to the roof, siding, and other areas of the house. Even tenants with pure intentions may accidentally cause damage that will be expensive to repair. Then again, if a tenant cleans the gutters but does a dismal job of it, you may not see that there is a growing problem for months or even years. Believing the work has been carried out painstakingly well when it reality it wasn’t, could cost you months or even years down the road.

Another aspect to consider is your tenant’s health and safety. To reach the gutters, it is often necessary to use a ladder and other equipment notorious for causing accidents and injuries. By one estimate, there are more than 36,000 deaths from falling off ladders in the United States every year. Ladder-related injuries are even higher, with more than 164,000 accidents reported annually. With so much risk involved, it is not a good idea to ask your tenant to get on a ladder to perform property maintenance on your rental. Should they fall and hurt themselves, you could be sued and found liable to pay their medical and legal expenses.

Cleaning the gutters on your rental property once or twice a year can make your tenants feel safe and curb extravagant expenses. Assuming you do it yourself or authorize certified personnel to do it for you, the time and expenses included are negligible compared to the consequences for not ensuring your gutters are properly maintained. At Real Property Management Cache Valley, we count in regular gutter maintenance with our other quality property maintenance services in Logan. With our aid, you will have excess time to concentrate on the more beneficial facets of your real estate investing business. For more information, contact us or call us at 435-753-5200 today.

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