Multifamily owners: what's on your pre-winter checklist for a building?

Question

Every winter the same handful of things turn into emergency calls that could have been caught in October.

For those of you with multifamily, what do you check before the first freeze that a single family owner wouldn't think about? I'm thinking about things like shared gutters and downspouts, the boiler or hallway heat, vacant units that nobody is living in to notice a problem? Curious what's on your list and what you learned the hard way.

Dan Nelson · Answer

The shared boiler is the one that gets people. On a two flat or three flat, what most of the country calls a duplex or triplex, one boiler feeds radiators in every unit. Air gets trapped at the top of a radiator over the summer and blocks the hot water, so one tenant is cold while everybody else is fine. I bleed every radiator and run the boiler up to full temperature in early September, while a service tech can still get out the same week.

Vacant units are the other one. Nobody is in there to notice a slow leak or a cold room, so I leave the heat on at a set point and shut the water off at the unit.

Downspouts too. On a small building they often dump right next to the foundation, and that water finds the garden unit, which is what we call a basement apartment here. A cheap plastic extension moves it away from the wall.

Heating season in Chicago runs September 15 to June 1, 68 degrees from 8:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night and 66 overnight. So August is when the boiler gets looked at, not November.

Alan F. · Answer

Don't forget smoke alarms & CO sensors.

Mackenzie Grate · Answer

I agree and second what Dan said, but also don't forget:

• Clean out fireplaces— get a chimney sweep out there and do a test run.
• Shared gutters & downspouts — clear leaves, check for sagging, and make sure downspouts discharge far enough away from the foundation.
• Roof + flashing — look for areas where ice dams or freeze/thaw could create leaks.

Clean out fireplaces— get a chimney sweep out there and do a test run.

Shared gutters & downspouts — clear leaves, check for sagging, and make sure downspouts discharge far enough away from the foundation.

Roof + flashing — look for areas where ice dams or freeze/thaw could create leaks.

• Vacant units — huge one. Verify heat is actually running, thermostats are functioning, doors/windows are closed, and someone is physically checking the unit.
• Freeze protection on vacant units — know exactly which pipes are vulnerable and whether they should be drained, insulated, or maintained above a specific temperature.
• Pipe insulation — especially pipes running through exterior walls, basements, crawlspaces, garages, attics, and other unheated areas.
• Exterior hose bibs — shut off interior valves and drain them.
• Basement mechanical rooms — check for drafts, broken windows, missing insulation and pipes exposed to freezing temperatures.
• Water shutoffs — make sure you can actually access and operate the main shutoff and individual unit shutoffs. Make sure your maintenance guy or tenants know where and how to do this too.

Vacant units — huge one. Verify heat is actually running, thermostats are functioning, doors/windows are closed, and someone is physically checking the unit.

Freeze protection on vacant units — know exactly which pipes are vulnerable and whether they should be drained, insulated, or maintained above a specific temperature.

Pipe insulation — especially pipes running through exterior walls, basements, crawlspaces, garages, attics, and other unheated areas.

Exterior hose bibs — shut off interior valves and drain them.

Basement mechanical rooms — check for drafts, broken windows, missing insulation and pipes exposed to freezing temperatures.

Water shutoffs — make sure you can actually access and operate the main shutoff and individual unit shutoffs. Make sure your maintenance guy or tenants know where and how to do this too.

• Snow/ice plan — know who is responsible for plowing, shoveling, salting, and documenting it.
• Exterior drains — clear them before snow and ice cover them.
• Laundry rooms — check supply/drain lines and make sure the room itself won't freeze.
• Sump pumps — test them and make sure the discharge line isn't positioned where it will freeze solid.

Snow/ice plan — know who is responsible for plowing, shoveling, salting, and documenting it.

Exterior drains — clear them before snow and ice cover them.

Laundry rooms — check supply/drain lines and make sure the room itself won't freeze.

Sump pumps — test them and make sure the discharge line isn't positioned where it will freeze solid.

Remind tenants to leave the water trickling during particularly deep freezes and the main thing is to reiterate and communicate to your tenants that it is their responsibility to notify you (or your property manager IMMEDIATELY if there is an issue. Make sure they know the emergency contact info. This sounds silly, but this has been a rookie mistake I have made in the past.

Good on you for being proactive, though. It was a nice reminder to me to get on it with my own properties as well. :)

Aaron Zimmerman · Answer

The boiler has burned me a couple times. Thanks for highlighting!

Mark Updegraff · Answer

@Daniel Vera Coming from Rochester, NY, winter preparation is something we have to take pretty seriously.

At portfolio scale, I think the bigger challenge isn’t knowing what needs attention. It’s making sure the right person actually addresses it before the first serious freeze.

I’d start by identifying the properties with elevated exposure: shared heating systems, vacant units, exposed plumbing, recurring drainage problems and difficult snow access.

Then assign responsibility and verify completion. A thermostat being set isn’t proof the heating system works. A vendor saying something was checked isn’t necessarily proof the problem was corrected.

I’d also make sure the emergency response plan is realistic. Temperature monitoring is useful, but an alert at 2 AM doesn’t accomplish much unless somebody owns responding to it.

The most expensive winter problems I’ve seen are often the ones that could have been prevented with relatively inexpensive work weeks earlier.

Preventive maintenance is one thing. Having a system that makes sure it actually happens is another.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

A vacant-unit walkthrough needs an actual name and date next to it. 'Maintenance is checking' is easy for everyone to assume someone else handled. I'd also test the after-hours number before winter, including what happens when the first person doesn't answer.

Daniel Vera · Answer

What a great list! And yes reminding tenants very true and also same for vacant units running the water very important . making sure heat is on and unit properly is fully secured.

Daniel Vera · Answer

@Aaron Zimmerman absolutely agree!

Daniel Vera · Answer

Thanks for this Dan! So true not taking these measures will quickly lead to upset tenants and absolutely agree in the winter vacancies require at least monthly maybe walkthroughs checking on the vacant units making sure the boilers etc are on before finding out from a large expensive repair or other tenants. Also waiting last min may cost more in emergency services or techs delayed because they are so busy.

Multifamily owners: what's on your pre-winter checklist for a building?

Multifamily owners: what's on your pre-winter checklist for a building?

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