Preventive Maintenance for the Seasonal Landlord: 5 Checks That Prevent 1 AM Emergency Calls

The Calls That Didn't Have to Happen 

Every landlord who's been in the business for more than a couple of years has a collection of 1 AM calls that could have been prevented. The furnace that died on the coldest night of the year because the filter hadn't been changed since the previous tenant. The basement that flooded during a spring rainstorm because the gutters were clogged with six months of leaves. The air conditioner that quit on the first 100- degree day because nobody checked the refrigerant levels since installation. 

These aren't random failures. They're predictable consequences of deferred maintenance. And they all share two characteristics: they cost significantly more to fix as emergencies than they would have cost to prevent, and they happen at the worst possible time. 

Emergency HVAC service on a weekend in January: $500 to $1,000. A routine HVAC tune-up in October: $100 to $150. The math is obvious. The problem is that most individual landlords don't have a preventive maintenance calendar. They operate in reactive mode — fixing things after they break — because proactive maintenance requires planning, scheduling, and contractor coordination that competes with everything else in their lives.

Check 1: HVAC Service — Every Spring and Fall 

Your heating and cooling systems are the most expensive equipment in your rental properties and the most common source of emergency calls. 

In the fall, before heating season starts: replace the furnace filter, have a technician inspect the heat exchanger, test the thermostat, check the ignition system, and clean the blower assembly. If you have a heat pump, the technician should also check the reversing valve and defrost controls. 

In the spring, before cooling season starts: replace the AC filter (or clean if reusable), have a technician check refrigerant levels, clean the condenser coils, inspect the condensate drain line, and test the thermostat's cooling cycle. 

Cost per visit: $80 to $200. Cost of a failed furnace in February: $3,000 to $8,000 for replacement, plus a potential habitability violation and an angry tenant. 

Tip: schedule your HVAC service in September and March, before peak demand. Technicians are booked solid in the first week of a heatwave or cold snap. Getting ahead of the season means faster scheduling and sometimes lower prices. 

Check 2: Gutter Cleaning — Every Fall 

Clogged gutters are one of those invisible problems that cause visible damage. When water can't flow through the gutters and downspouts, it backs up and overflows. That overflow can damage fascia boards, seep into walls, flood basements, erode landscaping, and — in freezing climates — create ice dams that damage the roof. 

Have gutters cleaned every fall after the leaves drop. For properties surrounded by trees, a second cleaning in spring may be warranted. 

Cost per cleaning: $100 to $250 depending on the size of the property. Cost of water damage from clogged gutters: $1,000 to $10,000+ depending on how long the problem persists. 

If your tenants are responsible for exterior maintenance per the lease, make sure gutter cleaning is explicitly included and provide clear expectations about timing. 

Check 3: Water Heater Flush — Every Year 

Sediment builds up in water heaters over time, reducing efficiency and shortening the unit's lifespan. An annual flush removes this sediment and can extend the water heater's life by several years. 

For gas water heaters, the annual service should also include checking the anode rod (which prevents tank corrosion), inspecting the gas connections, and testing the temperature and pressure relief valve. 

Cost of an annual flush: $80 to $150. Cost of a failed water heater: $1,000 to $3,000 for replacement, plus potential water damage if the tank ruptures. 

Many handymen can perform a water heater flush as part of a general maintenance visit, which reduces the cost by combining it with other tasks.

Check 4: Weatherization and Pipe Insulation — Every Fall 

Before the first freeze, inspect every property for cold-weather vulnerabilities. This means checking that exposed pipes in crawl spaces, attics, garages, and exterior walls are insulated, that exterior hose bibs are disconnected and covered, that weatherstripping on doors and windows is intact, and that any drafts or air leaks are sealed. 

Cost of weatherization: $50 to $200 per property. Cost of a frozen pipe burst: $5,000 to $15,000+ depending on the extent of water damage. 

This is also a good time to communicate winterization expectations to your tenants. A simple text or email reminding them to keep the heat at 55 degrees minimum during cold snaps and to let faucets drip during extreme cold can prevent the kind of damage that leads to the $5,000 burst pipe scenario. 

Check 5: Smoke Detectors and CO Detectors — Every Six Months 

This is both a safety obligation and a legal requirement. Most jurisdictions require working smoke detectors in rental properties, and many now require carbon monoxide detectors as well. Failure to maintain them can result in fines, liability for injuries, and insurance claim denials. 

Every six months, test every smoke detector and CO detector in every unit. Replace batteries as needed. Replace units that are past their recommended lifespan (10 years for most smoke detectors, 5-7 years for most CO detectors). 

Cost per unit tested: minimal — you can do this yourself or include it in a routine inspection. Legal liability for a non-functioning detector: effectively unlimited. 

This check is also an opportunity to do a general walkthrough of each unit, which helps you catch maintenance issues that tenants haven't reported. 

Building a Maintenance Calendar 

The key to preventive maintenance is putting it on a calendar and treating it like a non-negotiable business expense. 

January-February: mid-winter check. Verify heating systems are functioning across all units. Check for ice dam formation. Follow up on any winterization items from fall. 

March-April: spring HVAC service. Schedule AC inspections and maintenance. Check for any winter damage (roof, gutters, exterior). 

May-June: exterior maintenance. Landscaping, exterior paint touch-ups, deck and fence inspection. 

July-August: mid-summer check. Verify AC systems are functioning. Inspect caulking and weatherstripping. 

September-October: fall prep. HVAC heating inspection. Gutter cleaning. Weatherization. Water heater flush. Smoke and CO detector testing. 

November-December: winter readiness. Confirm all winterization is complete. Send tenant cold-weather reminders.

A landlord who follows this calendar spends approximately $500 to $1,500 per property per year on preventive maintenance. The industry rule of thumb — budgeting 1% of the property's value annually for maintenance — translates to $3,000 for a $300,000 property. Preventive maintenance typically consumes less than half of that budget while preventing the emergency repairs that blow the other half.