Gutter cleaning is an important part of routine maintenance for most residential properties, but it is a task that occasionally falls into a grey area for rental owners of single family houses.
While most homeowners dream of a tenant that takes care of routine property maintenance such as furnace filter changes, landscape watering, weeding, gutter cleaning, and other routine chores of home-dwelling, with the exception of some yard maintenance, many of these tasks are overlooked until a problem arises.
In the case of gutter cleaning, it is really in the owner’s best interest to take care of the responsibility of gutters on a routine basis. Not only does it avoid the potential problems/liability that can come from having a tenant using a ladder, it ensures that it is being done regularly by someone who has some applicable knowledge. Here are some tips when it comes to cleaning the gutters at your rental property(ies):
Have it done by a company that cleans gutters as one of their primary services. Companies that routinely clean gutters are typically outfitted to do it safely and effectively, including the flushing of downspouts. Simply pulling debris out of the horizontally-mounted gutters isn’t the entirety of the job.
Your property manager can probably get you discounted pricing because they order services in bulk. Plus, they probably have a company that they have vetted to be reliable.
Have your gutters cleaned after the majority of leaves have fallen. Cleaning your gutters at the beginning of the rainy season is certainly proactive, but you might find yourself cleaning them again after more leaves fall.
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