For many rental property owners, the holidays can be an especially chaotic time. Family members and guests are coming and going, there are trees to decorate and lights to hang, the weather can be challenging, and finances are often tighter than usual. If you take these issues and multiply them by the number of tenants occupying your rental properties, the holiday season can be a stressful time for most landlords.

For these reasons, and many more, most landlords choose to hire a professional property management company during the holidays to help manage their rental properties. Below we listed out some ways a reputable property management company can help landlords during the Holiday season.

Collect Rent Payments Easier

Dealing with delinquent rent payments is never easy and can be especially stressful during the holidays. People are more likely to find themselves short on funds, and no one wants to be in the awkward position of knocking on peoples’ doors trying to collect delinquent rent payments during the holidays. As a landlord, these situations also take away from your own cherished family time during the holidays.

A property manager will take on these tasks for you, collecting rent payments and dealing with delinquent tenants so you do not have to. This is especially helpful if you are planning a trip for the holidays and will not be physically available to tend to your rental properties yourself. Having an experienced property manager look after your rental properties and keep track of all financials can help assure that everything runs smoothly, allowing you to enjoy the holidays as intended.

Manage Guests more Efficiently During Holidays

Most lease agreements stipulate a limit on the number of people that can occupy/live in the rental property at any given time. Sometimes these limits are for insurance or fire code reasons. Other times these limits are necessary to keep noise levels down or to meet building requirements to minimize damage or strain on the internal plumbing and electrical systems. Regardless of the reason for the stipulation, these occupant limit policies are often overlooked by tenants and can become more of a problem during the holidays when people have friends or family staying with them for extended periods of time.

An experienced property manager can help explain these policies, answer questions, and smooth out the process for any additional people coming and going from the premises. This means you will not have to spend all of your time over the holidays sorting out parking stipulations, issuing passes or keys to external building doors, or constantly fielding phone calls. Property managers will even deal with problem tenants or guests for you in case they are not willing to comply with the building or lease policies.

Properly Monitor Holiday Safety Issues

Christmas trees and electric lights hung on the exterior of buildings are meant to highlight the cheer and festivities of the holiday season. Unfortunately, they also come with certain safety risks that most people are not aware of. Here are some of the safety issues landlords have to consider during this time of year.

Christmas Trees

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2014 and 2018 there were an estimated average of 160 structure home fires each year that began with Christmas trees. These fires caused an annual of two civilian deaths, 14 civilian injuries, and a whopping 10.3 million dollars in direct property damage. Live Christmas trees can be a major fire hazard, especially if they are not watered properly, are lit with unsafe materials, or if they are left in the home or alongside the building after they die. Some of the leading causes of Christmas tree fires include:

• Shorts or other electrical issues
• Being located too close to a heat source
• Proximity to candles on or near a tree

When Christmas trees become dried out and brittle, they are extremely flammable, and the smallest spark could ignite the whole tree in a matter of seconds. Property managers can help enforce safety guidelines and rules regarding the disposal of Christmas trees.

Exterior Lights

The hanging of exterior lights can pose a safety hazard to your tenants and to your rental property. Walking on rooftops or other unstable areas to hang the lights can cause property damage that you may have to pay for down the road. Some tenants may even go overboard by trying to place their lights in hard-to-reach areas, increasing the risk of someone falling or slipping. This opens the door for liability issues and insurance problems.

Additionally, exterior lights can malfunction and lead to fires or electric shock. It is important that exterior lights are rated for outside use and that they are plugged into outlets that are GFCI protected. Any extension cords used outside also need to be rated for exterior use and not overloaded. A property manager can monitor and warn tenants of these risks, as well as conduct inspections as necessary to ensure the safety of your property and your tenants.

Handle Important Winter Maintenance

The coming of colder weather can lead to serious maintenance issues during the holidays that often need to be dealt with immediately. Particularly in the Las Vegas area, winters can bring extremely windy conditions, electrical storms, and sudden flooding. This extreme weather can cause power outages, damage to roofs and windows, and other issues that can make living conditions difficult for your tenants, especially if your rental property is older.

Professional Henderson and Las Vegas property management companies will continuously conduct regular inspections and ensure routine maintenance is performed in a timely manner, keeping your property secure and prepared for harsher winter weather. They can also serve as your mediator to ensure renters’ needs are being met while coordinating with contractors and third-party companies to fix any issues that may arise. Basically, a property manager will manage your rental property while communicating with your tenants to ensure that you have a happy and stress-free Holiday season.

More Personal Time for You

A property manager can be a great asset for a landlord during the holidays for an abundance of reasons. Hiring a reputable property management company will free up your time so that you can enjoy the Holiday season, instead of dreading the extra complications that it usually brings for landlords; especially if you are planning on traveling or are planning to host family/friends of your own during this time.

Hiring a property management company is not just useful during the holidays, though. Investing in a property manager year-round can ease your stress and workload, while simultaneously increasing the efficiency of your property and making things more streamlined for your tenants. This will, in turn, add more value to your property by making it a place where people want to live. Contact us today to learn more and start enjoying your holidays again like you deserve!