Your rental property is your investment in the future and your means of building wealth in the present. You need to do everything possible to protect this investment while keeping your overhead costs—including those spent on emergency repairs—low. Given that a major roof repair project can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, it’s in your best interest to be proactive in protecting your roof. In this article, we’ll review how property owners can do just that and ensure their roof stays in its best possible shape.
Keep an eye on the property’s roof
Never climb on your roof! Not only is this incredibly dangerous, but it’s also unnecessary: many roof issues can be spotted from the ground or a safely secured ladder. First, take a walk around the perimeter of the property. If you notice any fallen shingles or tiles, that means there’s now a gap in the armor. Take a look at the shingles and tiles on the roof. Are any of them curling or cracked? These will need to be replaced. Visually inspect the flashing, gutters, and downspouts. If anything is out-of-alignment or broken, it’ll need to be fixed.
If you do notice any problems with your roof, act fast, and call a local professional for roofing repair immediately. Many property owners are tempted just to leave the issue “until next month”—an indeterminate future date that never actually arrives. The results of this procrastination can be disastrous: a roof leak, for instance, is not going to fix itself.
Remove any immediate threats
When it comes to protecting your roof, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If your rental has large, overhanging trees near it, you need to take steps to ensure that those trees don’t present a threat to your investment. As trees age or sicken, they become less rooted and more likely to topple in a fierce windstorm. The entire tree doesn’t necessarily have to come down on your home: even a large branch breaking off can cause severe damage to your roof. It’s generally a good idea to have an arborist or tree professional out to your property every few years to make sure they’re healthy and safely anchored to the ground.
In autumn, those same trees can drop hundreds and hundreds of dead leaves, which fall onto the roof and start to clog up your gutters and downspouts. At first glance, this might seem like a relatively harmless issue. After all, it happens every year. However, your property’s gutters and downspouts do play a critical role in protecting your roof. If they are unable to discharge water—either in the form of snowmelt or rainwater—from the roof structure, it could start to pool, damaging shingles and eventually causing a roof leak. Throughout the year, but especially in the fall, you need to be cleaning out your rental’s gutters and downspouts.
Have a professional inspect the roof every year
Most roof issues tend to start small and then, with enough time, turn into a much more complex and costly mess. One way to stave off significant problems is by having a professional roofer out to your rental property every year to inspect the roof and make sure everything is in order. An experienced and certified roofer knows the telltale signs of impending roof trouble, and acting on their recommendations can end up saving you and your renter a lot of headaches and money.
Generally speaking, the best time to schedule a roofing inspection is in the spring, after winter snowmelt is entirely off of your roof. This will allow the roofer to assess if there has been any damage after a long winter. However, in parts of the country where heavy snow is uncommon, fall also works, as this allows the roofer to point out trouble spots before winter rains.
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to your roof’s care and upkeep, an excellent place to start is by checking out this infographic.
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