When winter rolls around, do you dread the extra money and hassle that comes with keeping your tenants warm and happy? As New Hampshire temps drop to freezing (or colder!), winter months can bring on a slew of problems when it comes to managing your properties. That might mean maintenance concerns like heating and keeping out pests or just the extra work it takes to keep your tenants warm and happy!
Also, don’t forget about the astronomical monetary challenge that both you and your tenants face that comes with keeping a home warm in the frigid months. Thankfully, we have a few simple ways to help keep your tenants warm and keep your heating bill under control.
- Try DIY solar energy.
Solar power is all the rage in the upper New England area. But you don’t have to shell out a few thousand dollars to capture the power of the sun. Instead, try an easy and inexpensive DIY solar hack.
Even during gray New Hampshire winters, the sun’s UV rays beat down on your property. If your property has attic space where the underside of the roof, attach aluminum foil to the underside of the roof. The foil will conduct the warmth from the sun on the roof and help keep the home warm!
- Stop door drafts.
First and foremost, don’t let those strong New England winds inside! It may not seem like much air can leak in or out of doors on your property; however, studies show that up to 20 percent of your heat can escape through small openings near windows and doors.
Make sure you insulate these heat-sucking crevices. The cheapest way to do this is by blocking the space between doors and the floor. You or your tenants can buy pre-made draft stoppers that stick to the bottom of the door, old socks can be stuffed to make a cute door snake, or you can even shove a towel at the base of the door!
Finally, make sure you keep keeping draft stoppers at the base of each door that leads outside. Then encourage your tenants to use them and understand how effective they can be. As a landlord with a house, suggest draft stoppers (DIY or otherwise) to your tenants and make sure they know that it may help keep their bill lower!
- Insulate windows.
Warm air often escapes through windows, as well. As much as we love big widows where lots of natural light can shine through, windows act as large weak spots in your home’s insulation. The glass in your windows also gets incredibly cold with the temperature outside and makes it hard to keep the areas around them warm. The best way to prevent these things is through well-insulated windows. You don’t have to replace your property’s windows just yet, though. There are several ways to insulate your windows cheaply during the winter.
The first option is covering windows with some form of plastic. Plastic sheeting can be shrink-wrapped against the windows for winter to help better insulate them. There are also plenty of decorative window clings available that let the light still come through but keep the warmth from escaping.
You can also add curtains. Blackout curtains aren’t just good for keeping the sun out of a room — they’re also great insulators. Blackout curtains are great because your tenants can open the curtains and let the sunshine through and warm their home, and then when night comes, they can shut the curtains and keep that daytime heat all night long!
For more tips like these for landlords that will help keep you and your tenants happy, check out our property management services at PMI Green Rock!
