What Missouri Property Managers Overlook When Winter Proofing Their Properties

Photo by paul itkin on Unsplash

Missouri property managers have a lot on their plate. Prepping for the winter season has a few obvious chores. You have to wrap your pipes. You have to get salt for your driveways. There are some tasks that get overlooked, however, and these can cost you a lot in the long run.

The Dangers of Snowpiles

When you’re planning to winterize your property you have to account for a lot. Something that slips through the cracks is planning where you’re going to put the snow that might accumulate. A lot of people throw snow into one big pile that only melts when spring finally comes back to Missouri. The best Missouri property managers don’t let it pile up just anywhere. You’re going to want to move your snow pile off of landscaping. While plants can easily survive a typical snowfall, if your pile grows for months it can be the source of new problems.

A common issue is the sheer weight of a snow pile. If not enough of your snow is melting between snowfalls, you could build up a pile deep enough to cause serious damage to shrubs underneath it. Another common problem is mold. If the snow pile acts as insulation, the ground beneath it may not actually freeze. This provides a damp place for mold to flourish, and makes for very sick plants come spring.

Last Minute Maintenance Musts

Maintenance is the best thing Missouri property managers can do before winter. It’s tempting to leave summer problems until next summer. If you won’t be using a piece of equipment or area of the property, it’s tempting to just write it off. If at all possible, get your maintenance in first. Small problems get worse over time. Something as simple as chipped paint can get waterlogged during winter and bloom into mold, rot, and a much more expensive problem in the spring.

Get your property ready for spring by giving all your landscaping equipment a little TLC before packing them away. Next, aim for outdoor cosmetics, from paint to cracks in the sidewalk. Winter will make everything worse. From there, look to make sure that efforts to protect the pipes survived the summer alright and are ready to prevent freezing now. You should also take a look at water heaters and whatever heating type is used on the buildings. You don’t want to be called out in the middle of winter because there’s something wrong with the heat!

Downspout Clearance

This one area can save you a lot of trouble down the line. Make sure that you’ve winter-proofed your downspouts. Clogged or sagging downspouts can lead to big trouble for your building. Clogged downspouts overflow. Overflowing downspouts land water at the foundation of your building. This can spell big trouble for your foundational stability, especially when repeated over the course of several years.

Missouri property managers have a lot on their plate when preparing for winter. While you wrap the pipes, don’t forget about outdoor maintenance and planning your snow pile. Your buildings and landscapes will thank you.