Tips for Improving Investment Property Safety
Guest Post by Joel Sidaka
Currently around one in twelve new houses are built as an investment property.
Whether you reside on your property or you have it rented out, it is important to ensure the house is safe for occupation.
After all, the primary function of a house is to provide shelter and safety.
As such, it should protect the residents from both external and internal risks.
When you create a safe home, not only will you be a great landlord to your tenants, but you will also keep them and your assets protected.
The following are practical tips on how to improve your home’s safety.
8 Tips for Improving the Safety of Your Home
Carefully screen your tenants
The simplest way of making your property safe is to put in place stringent tenant screening procedures, which will ensure that only suitable candidates move into your property.
Through such selection, you will find out whether a candidate has any criminal records or court hearings.
Besides, it will also help you to learn the behavior, occupation, and lifestyle of the applicant, as well as the company that he or she keeps.
In contrast, if you fail to conduct such vetting, you might end up with a problematic tenant, who either engages in criminal activities or does things that put other residents at risk.
Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors
A common hazard in residential properties is accidents caused by fire and carbon monoxide.
It is, therefore, important for you to install good-quality carbon monoxide and smoke sensors, which will alert the residents of impending danger.
Nonetheless, it is not just sufficient to install these life-saving devices.
You must also inspect and service them regularly to guarantee that they are in perfect working condition.
Some of the maintenance tasks will include ensuring that the batteries have a full charge and that the sensors can indeed detect smoke or carbon monoxide presence.
Install and Service the Heating and Cooling Systems
Gone are the days when installing an HVAC system was just for the well off in the society.
These days, thanks to global warming and the desire for healthy living, most homes have these units.
As a caring landlord, you should make sure that these air conditioners are working efficiently to ensure the well-being and safety of your residents.
For instance, they should effectively keep the house cool during the hot weather and warm when it is freezing.
Moreover, the AC should not release dust, allergens, or harmful particles into the property.
Make the property burglar proof
It is not unusual to hear of people breaking into a property and getting away with the valuables.
At times, the incidents do not involve actual break-ins.
It could be a situation where a person deceives the occupants and steals from them.
Prevent such an occurrence by using burglar-proofing solutions such as installing security cameras, burglar alarms, or even contracting a security company.
Such efforts will not only deter unwanted visitors but also result in a safe home.
Make sure all Electrical circuits are protected by Safety Switches
Safety switches used to be called Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB) but are now known as Residual Current Devices (RCD)
Electricity plays a pivotal role in powering most appliances in the home. These include water heaters, alarms, sensors, lighting, washing machines, dishwashers, mobile phones, computers, and much more.
Even though electricity offers convenience, there is always a danger lurking behind it.
A fact supported by the many electrocutions that take place.
Fortunately, nearly all electrocutions are preventable.
You just need to be proactive.
Fumigate the property
One of the hurdles of owning a home is that you will have to deal with annoying pests and insects. While most of these are only annoying, others like the mosquitoes, rats, lice, fleas, and bedbugs can transmit deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, plague and the Zika virus.
Besides, some like the termites can cause significant structural damage to the property and your tenant’s belongings.
Be a great landlord by contacting a professional pest removal firm or an exterminator to keep your property safe and pest free.
Fix or remove all likely causes of slips and falls
A common accident in homes results from slips and trips.
Besides causing serious bodily harm to a person, such accidents can result in you facing a slip and fall negligence claim in a court of law.
Make life easy for you and your tenants by fixing all possible causes for trips and falls.
For instance, you could repair the uneven flooring, replace broken floor tiles, install non-slip floor tiles and fill up the gaps or holes in the pathway or driveway.
Furthermore, you should install adequate lighting on the property, and install grab bars or handrails along the stairs.
If possible, erect warning signs such as a slippery, uneven or steep floor, to alert the users of the potential dangers.
Change the locks
Now and then, you should replace the locks to your doors to ensure total control over the keys.
Some of the instances where you must change the locks include when a tenant moves out, a key gets lost, a partner moves out, or when you suspect someone might have a duplicate key.
By changing the locks, you will end up with a safe home and a peaceful mind since no one will be able to gain unauthorized access into your home.