6 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Commercial Property

THE WESTMOUNT INSIDER Presents:

6 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Commercial Property

Ginny Goldsmith, Sr. Director – Property Management, shares her advice on responsible maintenance to ensure the longevity of commercial properties. Get ready to learn how you can best refresh, rebuild, and revitalize your investments.

Many of us enjoy the tidiness of our homes after we have completed spring cleaning. For commercial real estate, spring cleaning is just as important to ensure that damage from the winter season is repaired and prepare the property for the possible extremes of summer.

Proper maintenance of commercial properties creates value for yourself, your tenants, and your investors. Nothing attracts new investors and tenants more than an owner known for their extensive care of their properties. Proper care maintains investment value as well as minimizes potential future maintenance costs. Another added financial incentive is the minimization of potential liability from improper care by preventing hazards from developing that could lead to potential safety concerns.

Updated, well-kept features will enhance your ability to attract high quality tenants while creating enjoyable and pleasant working environments for their employees. This showcases your standard while illustrating your company’s commitment to the asset. Now let’s get into some of the most important factors in ensuring your property is up to date:

1.????Roof Inspection and Winter Damage Check

One of the most important things to regularly maintain is the condition of the roof. Make sure the roof can drain as quickly as possible.?Standing water on the roof will increase the weight imposed causing damage and deterioration.?Therefore, you want to inspect the roof and remove debris or plant material, tree debris, leaves, etc. and ensure the roof can drain adequately. In addition, properly maintain gutters by cleaning and repairing as needed. In colder climate markets, inspect the roof for damage caused by snow accumulation or other winter conditions.?In warmer or more coastal climates, make sure to inspect roofs after any major storm or weather incident including hail or high winds.

2.????HVAC

HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems need regular maintenance on a quarterly basis and should be serviced by a licensed professional. Changing air filters, adjusting belts, lubricating motors, washing coils, and clearing drain lines within your systems are the top line items during regular maintenance. This preventative maintenance will prolong the life of your HVAC units and with proper care can delay additional capital improvement costs and expenditures.

3.????Parking Lot, Exterior Surfaces

Take time to visually inspect parking lots, including the curbing, striping, and seal coat. Water is the enemy when it comes to parking lots. Standing water seeping into minor cracks will cause deterioration in your base structure which will result in the lot cracking, alligatoring, and developing potholes.?To avoid these extensive repairs, be sure to repair potholes as soon as they are discovered to prevent larger deterioration of the parking lot.

4.????Landscaping

Proper landscaping improves the curb appeal of commercial properties and creates a strong first impression for potential tenants. Without this service, the property grounds will appear neglected and might cause compliance issues with city codes, leading to fines.

Some key landscaping items include pruning back shrubs, removing and replacing dead plants, and cleaning excess leaves and debris from the winter season. Trimming and pruning trees is just as important as shrubs because it removes dead wood that could possibly fall.

Another benefit of proper landscaping is deterring unwanted pests. Mosquitos thrive in overgrown areas, and the accumulation of trash, leaves, debris, etc. attracts varmints and rodents.

5.????Windows

Cleaning windows four times a year (with a bare minimum of two times a year) is a great way to add to your curb appeal. Inspecting them prior to cleaning and looking for failed window sealants and gaskets will help maintain their life and improve performance long term. Ensure that you attend to the preventative maintenance needs, and you will have the ability to prevent water penetration and window leaks that could lead to more significant issues.

6.????Electrical

Make sure to perform exterior lighting checks. Ensuring that all exterior lights are working and adjusting time clocks as needed to turn on at dusk and off at dawn, rather than running all day. Managed lighting initiatives will save on energy costs and provide security for tenants, helping to?deter criminal activity. Exterior outlets or irrigation boxes should be in good working condition and fully enclosed. Transformers should be inspected for issues like excessively loud noises and make sure to check for any potential damage to the electrical box covers.?Repairs should also be made to any improperly sealed covers to ensure they are not incurring any potential rust.

Want more insights delivered directly to your inbox? Join our mailing list: SUBSCRIBE HERE

Author: Ginny Goldsmith

Ginny leads and provides strategic direction for Westmount’s property management team, which oversees a portfolio of 11 million square feet of industrial and office space across the U.S. Ginny has over 20 years of industry experience with a focus on property management. Prior to joining Westmount, she worked as a Senior Property Manager at Colony Financial, Inc., Sealy & Company and Franks Real Estate, Inc.

To learn more about Westmount Realty Capital or for additional information, contact us at [email protected] or find us at https://westmountrc.com/.

This article, and Westmount Realty Capital blogs in general, is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute a solicitation or offer by Westmount Realty Capital, LLC to buy or sell any securities, futures, options, foreign exchange or other financial instrument or to provide any investment advice or service. Westmount is not your advisor or agent. Please consult your own experts for advice in these areas. Although Westmount provides information it believes to be accurate, Westmount makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this article.