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Winterize your rental property before the first freeze, and you avoid one of the most expensive calls a landlord can get. You don’t need a blizzard for a winter disaster. In fact, one hard freeze is enough. A hose left on the spigot or a heater turned off before a holiday trip can flood a unit overnight.
Kevin and I are feeling this one personally. Temperatures are dropping in the mountains, and we’re racing to close up our family’s Tahoe cabins. So this episode comes straight from our own checklist.
Kevin starts with water, because that’s the first step to winterize your rental property. Freezing weather does the most damage there, and fast. He shares a neighbor’s hose that froze so solid it broke the spigot. I follow with our story about a Tahoe hose bib, my mom’s spring bulbs, and a small lake behind the house. Then I walk through our heating routine. That includes a simple battery habit that doubles as proof for your insurance company.
Next, we head outside. We cover windows, critters, trees, and the roof. Kevin explains how an ice dam forms, and we share what one did to a wall in one of our Tahoe homes. Plus, Kevin makes his feelings about three-story gutters very clear.
Thinking About Buying Out of State? Listen to This Part
This segment is for new landlords, first-time buyers, and anyone scaling into a new market. Many of the affordable, cash-flow-friendly markets sit in colder parts of the country. However, the numbers on a spreadsheet don’t show you what January looks like. We bought our Idaho fourplex in August. It took a question from Kid 2 months later for us to realize what we had overlooked. We share what we learned, plus the questions to ask before you buy.
Finally, we cover snow and ice, the friendly tenant reminder we send every fall, and two emergencies we dealt with in just the last few weeks. One lasted four days. The other involved a tile saw.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why freezing weather deserves your attention even if you never see snow
- The hose mistake that broke our neighbor’s spigot, and how to avoid it
- The one step people forget after draining a hose bib
- Our heating routine, and why we change the air filters ourselves
- How dating your batteries can protect you after a fire
- How ice dams form, and the damage one did in one of our Tahoe homes
- What to ask the seller, agent, and inspector before buying in a colder climate
- Winter expenses that belong in your reserves
- Why your “boots on the ground” matter most when you manage from a distance
- How snow and ice responsibility often differs at single-family and multifamily rentals
- What to include in your pre-winter tenant reminder
- Why your tenants need to know where the water shutoff is
Key Takeaways
1. Winterize Your Rental Property for Freezing Weather First
Snow gets the headlines, but freezing temperatures cause the quiet damage. Water expands when it freezes, and pipes can split. Worse, you often don’t find out until the thaw. Therefore, hoses, hose bibs, irrigation, and exposed pipes all go at the top of our list.
2. Heat Is Your First Line of Defense
The plumbing prep only works if the heat stays on. We service heaters before the cold arrives, not on the first freezing night. Most importantly, we explain to tenants why the heat must stay on, even when they travel.
3. Small Exterior Fixes Prevent Big Winter Repairs
Worn weatherstripping, open gaps, and clogged downspouts seem minor in October. By February, they can mean drafts, nests, and ice backing up under your roof. Kevin shares exactly why the downspouts matter as much as the gutters.
4. Know the Climate Before You Buy
Affordable markets often come with harsh winters. So before you buy, ask about the property’s winter history and budget for seasonal costs. Above all, line up a reliable local team to help winterize your rental property before the first freeze.
5. Check Who Handles Snow and Ice
Your lease should spell out who clears snow and ice. In general, multifamily landlords handle shared areas, while single-family leases often assign it to the tenant. Local rules vary, so check yours.
6. A Friendly Reminder Protects Everyone
Put your winter reminder in writing and send it early. Keep it friendly, because as we always say, use common sense with compassion. Then make reporting issues easy, and respond quickly when tenants do.
To winterize your rental property the right way, start now, not the night before the first freeze. Listen to the full episode for our stories, our checklist, and the lessons we learned the hard way.
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 27: Fall’s Checklist: Rental Property Maintenance for a Hassle-Free Winter — our complete fall maintenance checklist episode
Episode 109: Fall Maintenance Recap — our quick fall reminder shorty
Outdoor Insulated Water Faucet Cover: The hose bib cover we use at our mountain homes
SafePaw Ice Melt: The pet-safe deicer we provide for our Idaho tenants
DoorLoop: The landlord management software we recommend for larger portfolios
TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords
Avail: Free Landlord Software
Innago: Free landlord software with online rent collection
EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease documents, notices, and addendums
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