Snow Solutions: Ensuring Tenant Safety and Convenience with Professional Snow Removal Services
If you manage properties that are in a part of the world that gets snow and ice, you most likely already have a system in place for snow removal for your properties. If you manage an apartment complex, it is wise to have a company lined up to plow the parking lots and salt it, as well. Usually, this isn’t required for those that manage separate houses as the tenant is typically responsible for their snow removal.
With an apartment complex, it is important to maintain these spaces to prevent any accidents, slips, or falls and to generally provide good customer service for your tenants. This will show that the company cares about the integrity of the property and about ensuring that the tenants have a safe and pleasant living environment.
Choosing the Best Option for Your Company
You have at least two options when it comes to implementing a snow removal process for your properties. The first and most common would be to use a company that is local to your community that does snow removal in the area. This makes it convenient because in most cases, they will keep an eye on the status of the lot and salt and plow as needed. The downside is you won’t have as much control over how often these services are needed and what the cost would be.
The second option would be to maintain these services within the property management company. Typically, this can be done by the maintenance team. This is a great option because your maintenance team knows the property best and having them perform the snow duties will save the company a great deal of money. The only difference is you would have to supply the supplies that would be needed, such as a plow for a truck, salt to lay down as well as a salt spreader and you would need to account for the labor and gas that would be going into the removal.
Delegate a Plan Early in the Season
It is imperative to formulate a plan of action before the snow starts falling. Having a team discussion to ensure that everyone is on the same page and aware of what their seasonal duties are is important. If you are contracting out your snow removal services, you should call around and get some prices to ensure you are getting the best rate. Even if you have contracted the services out in the past, it is important to confirm early in the season to make sure that your properties are on the list and note if there are any rate or policy changes.
Don’t Slack on the Sidewalks!
A lot of the focus of this article is targeted towards parking lot maintenance but the sidewalks are just as important. These are going to probably be the first areas that your tenants walk. Not only are your tenants using these walkways, but also their visitors, the mail carriers and delivery people, outside vendors that may be doing work, and even your staff if they have to show an apartment or perform internal maintenance. You will want to ensure that these walkways are cleared of snow, and ice and are safe for the community.
Maintain Communication with Tenants
Be sure to keep your tenants in the loop with these services and answer any questions or address any concerns. Remember the whole purpose of doing these services is to provide the best customer service to your tenants. You can even send out a survey to get a better idea of feedback from your community.
The snowy season only lasts so long and then we are back to worrying about grass mowing and picking weeds! Then you will have a similar plan of action when trying to decide how to plan out the landscaping for your properties.
At Goodman Properties we take pride in how our properties look and how our tenants feel about their environment. If you want a property that looks beautiful on the inside and out, give our office a call at 740-695-3131 and we can discuss what options we have available!