Putting up Christmas lights is one of the most popular holiday traditions for many people. But should you allow your renters to hang Christmas lights by themselves on your McKinney rental house? Think this question through first before you say yes. With all of the things that could possibly go wrong, there are valid reasons for you to discourage your tenants from hanging their own Christmas lights on the roof or 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 making sure they are safe.
The top reason for discouraging your tenants from installing Christmas lights on their own 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. The process of 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. If your roof tiles are loose or slippery, you could be held responsible for your tenant’s injuries. The risk of the electrical shock of overloading of breakers is also very real. Even when your property’s roof is not the issue, you could still land yourself in an ugly legal battle.
One other reason to discourage your tenant from installing their own Christmas lights is the possible 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 walls, both interior, and exterior.
Creating even small holes in exterior surfaces could cause insects to take harbor in or water to seep into the walls of the home leading to possible damages that would entail repair costs. Even when there are many ways to decorate a home without causing any damage to walls or exterior surfaces, you can’t be sure your tenant will use them. And since they are renters, they might not take the same precautions against damage that you, the owner, would.
A more prudent way would be to offer your tenant a safer way to enjoy Christmas lights on their home. This way you can safeguard both your tenant’s safety as well as your rental property. Hiring a professional to hang Christmas lights on the home for your tenant is a good option. Professionals have their own liability insurance so they can do the job more efficiently than your tenant could.
Another good thing about it is that these professional light installers usually include taking down the installed Christmas lights after the holidays in their service packages. Even when hiring someone to install Christmas lights on your rental house might seem like an additional cost, it could be well worth the price.
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.
May it be hanging Christmas lights or just doing routine property maintenance, managing a rental property can keep you busy this holiday season. Why not let Real Property Management Legend 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 214-227-2404 or contact us online today!
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