Fall is here and now is the time to start preparing your commercial real estate properties for those cold and harsh winter days. Among preparing for your holiday festivities, commercial property owners should prepare their properties for those long cold days. To insure your property is safe and efficient during this time we’ve come up with a list of tasks you should be doing every winter season to insure your property is safe and properly maintained.
HVAC System
Any owner of a commercial property will tell you that the most important task every CRE property owner should to to prepare for the winter season is to inspect and maintain their property’s HVAC system.
To prevent unexpected expenses, conduct an inspection of your HVAC system, not only before the winter season but throughout the year. Continuous inspections will bring to light any issues your HVAC system may have. That way you can repair any issues and prevent any more expensive repairs down the road.
Water Pipes
One of the worst situations that any commercial property owner can experience with their property is water damage. Any property damage caused by water can be both destructive and expensive.
This is why winterizing your water pipes and irrigation system is essential. This means conducting an inspection of the property’s 
sprinkler system, plumbing, and any exposed pipes that could freeze and burst during those harsh winter days. Insulating any exposed piping or caulking any outside pipes can help prevent your pipes from freezing over.
Snow and Ice
Those frigid winter days bring with them snow and ice, which can be dangerous for those who walk in and around your property, like an apartment building. Insure that you salt and cleanup parking spots, surrounding sidewalks, stairs and all entrances surrounding your property. Keep tenants and guest safe from slippery steps and slick black ice.
A number of these tasks require that you invest in your property, which may be something a number of commercial property owners are hesitant to do. But what you have to keep in mind is that taking these precautions early on are much more affordable than waiting it out and having to take care of the accumulation of damages later down the road.