The year-end break is upon us, and we are even going to get an extra day of holiday.
You need to be ready for this time of year.
Firstly, your cleaner will be off for a few days’ well-earned rest.
What are you going to do about keeping your place clean, putting out rubbish bins and the like?
Will one of the owners or trustees help?
Many property owners are likely to be on holiday, which means many of the units will be standing empty for as long as a month.
What extra security are you putting into place?
At least you should have proper boundary security (electric fence/cameras) making sure that they are in full working order and that you have proper contact numbers to call out the security company if needed.
Your gate is actually the most vulnerable part of your building.
Not only do many owners and tenants simply allow people to tail gate or walk in, but if it breaks are you able to get hold of the repairman or his replacement if he is on leave too?
It would be a good idea to send around a newsletter to all owners and tenants to make them aware of these arrangements.
If you have a managing agent, what is their arrangement for afterhours emergency calls for burst pipes and blocked drains?
People who have empty homes while they are on holiday would be well advised to leave a contact number where they can be reached if something does go wrong.
Preferably, leave a spare key with a neighbour should it be necessary to go into the unit in case of burst pipes, or power failures, to clean up damage or repair something.
Each owner and tenant must make sure that their insurance is up to date before they leave, especially that their premiums have been paid.
Alarms should be tested with the armed response to ensure that they are working and make sure that the guards have your current phone number.
If you handle all these tasks properly you will be able to go away without worrying about what’s happening at home.
- Mike Spencer is the founder of Platinum Global, a professional associated property valuer and consultant with work across the country as well as Eastern Europe and Australia. mike@platinumglobal.co.za