As the Fall and Winter seasons quickly approach, making sure your apartment community is in top shape is essential. As leaves fall and the temperature breaks, keeping your landscaping up to par and looking for hazards that may arise should be high on your maintenance to-do list. Though the fall foliage may be pretty to look at, leaves are one of the most overlooked slipping hazards on multifamily properties. Even if you do not have leaves in your area, trees and shrubs tend to shed larger amounts of branches and bark that may fall or hit a passerby. At Top Floor Insurance, we recommend you do these three things to get your property ready for the changing seasons and to lower your liability risk.

Tend to all shrubs and trees. This extends to getting the grass cut and dead flowers dug up. It is important, especially if you have large trees to have them checked by an arborist to ensure they are winter ready. Even if you do not have large snowfall in your area, high winds, extreme cold, and ice can wreak havoc on an old or dying tree. This would be a good time to prune large branches and make sure all plants are well maintained to not cause a tripping or falling hazard.

Inspect all signage. Often times signs can wear down quickly through the hot and humid summer months. When the cooler temperatures hit, signs may constrict and become loose. Checking your signage, especially those that may be hanging, is a great way to ensure nothing will become airborne and cause personal and/or property damage. If you find a sign that may be loose, it is always better to remove it to be fixed then to leave the sign in place.

Do a Fall inspection. If you’re like most apartment complex owners, you may not walk through the community often. As the seasons change, now is a good time to do a walking inspection of your property. Look for cracked or uneven walkways, tripping hazards, poorly lit areas, anything that could be a potential hazard. It is also important to keep in mind that as the days become shorter many of your tenants will be leaving and coming to their residences in the dark. Walk your apartment building community during the day and at night to spot any unforeseen accidents before they happen.

The apartment building insurance specialists at Top Floor Insurance want to make sure you are safe in the Fall and throughout the entire year. For more helpful tips to manage your apartment community, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.