If you thought your community across Vancouver Island was in the clear from the raging winter storms this season, think again. Recent weather forecasts are all in agreement that we will be receiving a snowfall on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday this week. Despite these reports approximating 2-4cm each day, safety for your tenants and the public should still be your number one priority. So get your shovels ready!
If your rental property has many families make sure you stay on top of the snowfall. Even a few hours of unattended snowfall can blanket your entire parking lot and the cars parked within them. We recommend that all the primary entrances, exits, and staircases be priority number one.
After you have removed the snow from the walkways, entrances, exits, and stairwells, you will want to generously apply road salt to these areas. Black ice can form quickly and is the number one cause of physical injuries during a snowstorm.
If you do not have access to road salt, place a clearly visible sign or cone to notify the public of dangerous or slippery services. The last thing you will want to deal with is a liability lawsuit after shoveling in the snow for the first few hours of your day.
Additionally, if your community has snow removal services, we recommend contacting them as soon as possible. The earlier the request for help, the higher priority service your tenants will receive. Untimely snow removal for tenants will undoubtedly lead to unsatisfied responses from your tenants. (For tips on how to manage complaints, check out a previous blog post here).