As a property manager, you juggle several tasks each day, and the winter season is no exception, if anything your workload doubles during the holidays. This year, put a plan in place and ensure you and your residents have a safe, happy, and worry-free winter!

1. Send out safety reminders

You know the rules well, but your residents might not be up to date on all of the property’s safety regulations. It never hurts to send out an email with safety regulations clearly listed, and if you want to go a step further, post flyers in the common areas as well. A few safety hazards this time of year that you may want to stress caution over include electrical cords, Christmas trees, light-up décor, heaters, candles, and fire alarms.

2. Prepare for bad weather

The winter months tend to bring extreme weather with them and it’s important that your community is prepared for the worst circumstances. The best way to be prepared is to start inspecting your property early on so that your maintenance team has time to make repairs. Check your HVAC systems, inspect your plumbing, clean the gutters, change batteries in your smoke detectors, stock up on Ice Melt and road salt, buy space heaters just in case, and make sure your maintenance staff is well equipped for the season.

3. Make a package room plan

Start preparing for a large influx of packages. Make sure you have dedicated space to store double the packages you’re currently receiving and create an organization system that is easy to maintain. If you have a larger property, consider hiring a package room attendant to help manage the flow of packages throughout the season. Most importantly make sure you keep your residents up to date on package room hours and regulations, ideally ahead of time.

4. Keep residents updated

The holiday season can be just as stressful for your residents, they are hosting families, planning trips, and preparing their homes as well. It is only fair that you keep them as informed as you possibly can. Get your holiday hours and regulations sorted out early on so you can give your residents notice of these changes ahead of time. Keep holiday hours, guest policies, and contact information clearly posted in common areas and at the front office. It is also helpful to keep residents informed about what you’re doing to keep the community safe during the holidays, this can even include steps you’re taking to prepare for inclement weather and any emergency plans.

5. Make sure you have enough staff to support your community

The holidays can be a hard time to find staff, and often your full-time employees are taking PTO to be with their families. It may be wise to seek temp staff and make sure you have vacations covered. It is also a good idea to check in with your vendors and contractors to see how the holidays may affect their ability to service your property.

Don’t let winter sneak up on you. Start early and get ahead of the rush so that you can feel at ease this year. Need extra support in your community for the holidays? We have leasing, maintenance, and concierge associates as well as amenity attendants available for temp or temp-to-perm positions now–request talent today!