- Make your home a smart home. Smart vacation rentals are much easier to manage than old-fashioned ones. Consider features like:
- Exterior cameras
- Smartlocks & exterior lighting
- Nest thermostat heating cooling system
- Ring doorbell
- Wifi-enabled hot tubs. They save energy while regulating temps!
- Be water safe. Prevent pipes freezing and floods:
- Get your water shut off valve inspected by a professional
- Make sure the valve is updated to new code requirements
- Shut off water in the winter months or when your home is not in use for longer than 2 weeks
- Secure trash and recycling while avoiding extra fees
- Have a plan for avoiding overage charges for excessive trash
- All boxes and all recyclables should be in blue secured bags separate from your 33-gallon trash bins in your bear box
- Use your free 6 yards of green waste allotment each season
- Take advantage of the new green waste drop-off located next to the rodeo arena.
- Save money with insulating window coverings and get these benefits
- Ensure privacy
- Keep heat in during the winter and sun out during the summer
- Make sure snow doesn’t block your guests’ way!
- Secure your plow service early in the fall to get the best price possible
- Stay on top of snow removal from decks, walkways, and hot tubs.
- Know the snow load of your roof
- Shovel roofs during heavy snow load years
- Keep extra shovels and brooms for snow and ice removal in high traffic areas
- Be fire safe and keep your home insurance
- Do a spring clean up each year to ensure defensible space around the perimeter of your home
- Convert to a gas stove or fireplace. Wood burning stoves for fireplaces are more expensive and harder to insure in many areas in Tahoe
- Buy a protective metal mesh covering for outdoor gas firepits to block needles, pine cones, and other ignitable debris from sparking a wildfire
- Take care of your driveway.
- Driveways should be resealed every 2 years to prevent the pavement from drying out
- Repair all cracks and potholes
- Pressure wash your driveway every spring and summer to keep those rodents and pests away
- Make sure wasp and hornet traps are set and re-bated every few weeks. They should be placed in high sun exposure areas around the outdoor living areas like patios and decks
- Inspect and identify points of entry for mice and squirrels regularly
- Fill any cracks or exposed openings with raw material like wood, Quikrete, silicon, metal scrub brush material
- Move wood piles back so they are at least 30ft from the house since firewood piles are great nesting spots for rodents
- Maintain your irrigation
- Irrigation should be winterized in the fall and turned back on in late spring
- Check irrigation every spring for loose or broken drip fittings
- Inspect sprinkler heads for damage
- Check for burn spots and move irrigation for better coverage if needed
- Professionally wash your windows every spring and fall to keep a clear view from all vantage points in your home
- Pressure wash the exterior of your home to knock down dirt grime and debris
- Remove and clean all screens
- Hand clean windows with 0000 steel wool and squeegee
- Only work on windows while they are not in direct sun
