A lot of people hang Christmas lights as part of their holiday tradition. However, would it be wise to let your renters hang Christmas lights on your Burlingame rental house? This question needs to be given deeper thought before saying yes. Given that a lot of things can go wrong with this, there are many reasons why you should discourage your tenants from hanging Christmas lights on the roof or trees. However, that does not mean your tenants will have to miss this tradition entirely. There are other safer ways for your tenants to still give their homes a festive atmosphere.
One of the biggest reasons for not letting your tenants put up Christmas lights by themselves is the risk of injury. 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 a very dangerous activity.
Every holiday season, an estimated 13,000 people injure themselves by falling off the roof or getting shocked by Christmas lights. Being the landlord, you could be responsible for your tenant’s injuries if loose or slippery roof tiles contributed to the fall. There is also the danger of electrical shock or overloading breakers. You could still end up in a legal battle even if your property’s roof is not an issue.
Another good reason against allowing your tenants to hang Christmas lights by themselves is the potential damage to your rental property. Nails, screws, and other hardware often used to secure strings of lights, garlands, and other Christmas decorations can leave ugly holes in the walls, both interior, and exterior.
Even small holes in exterior surfaces can be entry points for insects or water into the walls of the home and cause extensive damage that result in expensive repairs. Although there are many ways to decorate a home without damaging the walls or exterior surfaces, your tenant may not know about this. They may mean well, but typically, renters are less cautious about damage than owners are.
As you keep both your tenant’s and your rental property’s safety in mind, you might want to offer your tenant another way to enjoy Christmas lights on their home while keeping liability and damages at bay. One of these alternatives is to get a professional to set up the Christmas lights on the home for your tenant. Professionals have their own liability insurance so they can do the job more efficiently than your tenant could.
More than that, most professional light installers’ services include taking down the Christmas lights from the home once the holidays are over. Although paying someone to hang Christmas lights on your rental house might not be your first choice, it could be worth the price.
You not only keep your tenant & property safe, but you also save them some precious time during the holidays, therefore building goodwill and improving your landlord-tenant relationship.
Whether it be Christmas lights installation or routine property maintenance, the holidays can be a busy time for someone managing a rental property. Why not let Real Property Management Mid Peninsula 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 650-696-1800 or contact us online today!
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
