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Leaves in the Gutters? Clean ‘Em Up!

Rexburg Rain Gutter Full of Leaves Being Cleaned OutThe day that autumn begins it causes the leaves to start to drop and this can from time to time trigger your gutters to be overflowing with colourful leaves. To make sure that your Rexburg rental property is in pleasurable order every year, it is vital to make cleaning gutters a customary part of your property maintenance routine. But who should be responsible to clean them out? While requesting that your tenant do the task may feel like a reasonable option, there are important reasons why you should not have them perform regular gutter maintenance. Even if they understand 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 eventually produce damaged foundations, roofs, and other structural elements of the property. They can also lure insects and other pests, as well as other health hazards like mold. When gutters are not cleaned systematically, they can cause crucial obstacles that you may not be able to identify until it’s too late.

Cleaning gutters is not a difficult task, but it does take some time and a comprehension of how to effectuate it accordingly.  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. Availing of these tools, you should be able to easily remove large debris from the gutters to keep water flowing in the right direction. It’s invaluable 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. Other methods may use a power washer to get the more stubborn dirt out of gutters and downspouts but they must be used with care or risk damaging the gutters or even the house itself.

This is the rationale of why asking your tenant to perform gutter maintenance is not a good idea. Your tenant may not grasp 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 decent intentions may accidentally cause damage that will be expensive to repair. Also, if a tenant cleans the gutters but does a faulty job of it, you may not discover that there is a nuisance for months or even years. Believing the job has been performed correctly may also cost you months or even years down the road.

An alternate attribute to reflect is your tenant’s soundness and interest. 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 risky consequences involved, it is not a wise tactic to require your tenant to climb a ladder to execute property maintenance on your leasing home. 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 benefit your tenants and make them protected and limit expensive repairs. Whether you make it yourself or pay a trained person to accomplish it for you, the time and effort required are minor in contrast with the consequences for not ensuring your gutters are properly maintained. At Real Property Management Southeast Idaho, we include regular gutter maintenance with our other quality property maintenance services in Rexburg. With our help, you will have more time to look at more advantageous elements of your real estate investing business. For more information, contact us or call us at 208-522-2400 today.

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