One typical holiday tradition is to hang Christmas lights. But should you let your renters hang Christmas lights on your Summerville rental house on their own? You have to think this through before letting them. With all of the things that can go wrong, there are good reasons why you should not allow your tenants to hang their own Christmas lights on the roof or tall trees. But that does not automatically mean that your tenants will have to forgo this part of the holiday festivities. You can still help your tenants decorate their homes while ensuring their safety.
One of the best reasons to ask your tenants not to install Christmas lights on their own is to avoid the risk of injury that comes with it. From 2007 to 2013, more than 173,000 people in the U.S. were injured by hanging Christmas decorations in their homes. Hanging Christmas lights on a home’s exterior can be very dangerous.
Every holiday season, an estimated 13,000 people injure themselves by falling off the roof or getting shocked by Christmas lights. Landlords may still be held liable for tenants’ injuries if loose or slippery roof tiles were a contributor to the fall. The risk of the electrical shock of overloading of breakers is also very real. Even if your property’s roof is in good condition you could still end up in an unnecessary legal battle.
Another reason not to allow your tenants to hang their own Christmas lights is the possible damage to your rental property. Nails, screws, and other hardware are often used to secure strings of lights, garlands, and other Christmas decorations and it can leave ugly holes in walls, both interior, and exterior.
Holes created on exterior surfaces could cause insects or water to seep into the walls of the home and could cost you a lot in damage repair. There is no certainty that your tenant will apply one of the many ways to decorate a home without causing damage to walls or exterior surfaces. And since they are renters, not owners, they might not be as careful as you would be.
As you safeguard your tenant’s safety as well as your rental property, you can prudently offer your tenant an alternative way to enjoy the traditional Christmas lights on their home. Hiring a professional to hang Christmas lights on the home for your tenant is a good option. These liability insurance-carrying professionals will be more than able to do the job faster, easier, and safer than your tenant could.
What’s more, these professional light installers often also offer services to take down Christmas lights from the home post-holiday. Given all of these, paying someone to do your Christmas lights installation on your rental house doesn’t seem so bad at all.
Aside from improving safety and property protection, you can also build goodwill with your tenant by helping them enjoy their holidays, which can improve other aspects of the landlord-tenant relationship.
Whether it’s installing Christmas lights or doing routine property maintenance, managing a rental property can make you too busy to enjoy the holidays yourself. Why not let Real Property Management Charleston do it for you? Our property management professionals have the resources and expertise you need to feel confident that your investment and your tenant are both safe and sound this holiday season. Would you like to learn more? Call us at 843-900-4061 or contact us online today!
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