Winter checks on a rental — the small things you inspect before the cold sets in?

Question

As the weather starts to turn, I have been thinking about the small checks that are easy to put off at a rental until something actually goes wrong. I usually start with the simple stuff: checking that windows and doors close properly, looking for drafts, and making sure outdoor taps and exposed pipes are protected. I also like to test the heating, check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and clear gutters and walkways before ice becomes a problem. It is a short list, but it gives me more peace of mind through the season. What is the one small winter check you never skip, and what have you learned to add after a cold-weather surprise?

Jim Johnson · Answer

Checking the heat before the first freeze would be at the top of my list. I'd also add making sure tenants know where the main water shutoff is. It's one of those things that can easily get overlooked, but if a pipe ever bursts, knowing how to shut off the water right away can make a huge difference.

Randy Schell · Answer

One I learned the hard way from watching others is checking the crawl space vents and that nobody left a garden hose hooked up outside. A frozen pipe is such a stressful morning for everybody involved.

Randy, Bunklow

Daniel Jung · Answer

The check I would add is the cold corners. Walk the places heat does not reach well: pipes in a garage, a basement edge, a crawl space, or a cabinet on an outside wall. Feel around pipe openings for cold air, look for damp spots under sinks, and add insulation or seal a gap while it is still easy to reach.

Then run the heat and walk room to room. A far bedroom that stays cold is telling you something now, while you can still fix a blocked vent, a closed damper, or a unit that is struggling.

Finish by telling the tenant what to report right away: a drip, a toilet that keeps running, or heat that stops. Small reports in November prevent big calls in January.

Jaimee LaTorra · Answer

Big one: make sure the tenant actually knows where the main water shutoff is, and that it turns. Tag it with a bright zip tie or a label. If a pipe bursts at 2am, them shutting it off in five minutes vs waiting for you or a plumber is usually the difference in the whole repair bill. Worth testing the valve too, old gate valves can seize or snap when nobody's touched them in years.

The other one is any unit that'll sit empty over winter. Leave the heat around 55, open the cabinets under the sinks and have someone check on it every few days. A lot of landlord policies limit freeze damage coverage when a unit is vacant, so definitely worth reading that part of yours before a turnover lands in January.

Last thing, putting who does what in writing before it gets cold can be super helpful. Short email is fine: tenant keeps the heat at 55+ even when they travel, tests the detectors, reports drips or drafts right away, and you handle the furnace service and outside stuff. If nobody owns a task it just doesn’t happen, and that’s usually how the February pipe burst goes

Rosina Persaud · Answer

The one check we never skip is running the heat before the cold actually arrives — not just looking at the furnace, but turning it on and confirming the house warms up. Across 236 doors in Memphis, mostly single-family, we run this as one scheduled pass, not house by house when somebody remembers. A system that fails on the first cold night is an emergency call at the exact moment every contractor is booked solid. That is why we find and test our contractors months before anything breaks, in small paid steps, instead of auditioning them in a crisis. The other one we added: protecting outdoor taps and exposed pipes on the same visit. Small checks on a schedule are cheap. Emergency repairs and lost rent are not — turnover and vacancy cost more than repairs in this business.

Leo Stein · Answer

The one I never skip is shutting off and draining the exterior hose bibs, and putting a foam cover on them. A frozen spigot can split the pipe inside the wall and you won't know until the thaw. I also replace furnace filters and have the heat tested before the first cold snap, because HVAC companies get slammed once it drops. After a surprise one year I added a note to every tenant to keep the heat on and cabinets open under sinks on freezing nights. Cheap habits that save a big repair bill.

Winter checks on a rental — the small things you inspect before the cold sets in?

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