12 Things to check this Spring! Free Download

Spring is a perfect time to check over your buildings and lay the foundation for the seasons ahead. At excite Commercial Management we put together a Spring Clean Checklist for you to download and use as a reference. At the end of this post, you will see the download. We know when Spring comes, life gets crazy busy. We also know that cash flow doesn't flow well if your building isn’t taken care of. Talk to us about getting a free property analysis to see if we can help you out in any way and save you time.

12 Things to check this Spring at your commercial property

Us, Michiganders, know the work involved when Spring hits. Last Fall’s leaves piling in corners and gutters, excess salt on the surfaces, loose gravel and potholes in the parking lots, brown and sad-looking landscape, entryway carpets covered in dirt and salt, and leaking roofs. We’re confident in saying that Spring is the busiest time of year for commercial property owners in Michigan. Let’s walk through a few of these Spring cleaning tips for commercial property right now.

Checklist item 1: Review the roof

True story, there was a leak in the roof at a commercial strip mall, it got so bad the roof caved in and closed the entire strip mall for over a year. Check the roof. Get someone up there and inspect the roof, especially if it is a flat roof and HVAC is up there.

Checklist item 2: Pick up trash

When a property doesn’t look cared for, it affects who comes. The tenants won’t feel good about their business when trash is blowing outside their door or stuck in bushes or behind the building. Hire it to be done, or grab a trash bag and do it yourself. Don’t forget to remind your tenants to remove old Christmas decorations let alone Halloween.

Item 3: Utilities

Another true story. Make sure the utilities are being paid by the right tenants. There was a tenant who was paying for someone else’s utilities and ended in a war and a complete mess. Not to mention a leaky meter. Check the meters. Go through the building and align the units to the right meters. Have your maintenance person work with the utility company to get this sorted out. It will save you from a big mess in the future.

Item 4 on the Spring Checklist: Landscaping and mowing

This goes back to trash pickup. Being an owner of a commercial property is a big responsibility. The tenants and community depend on you to make that building not only functional but also look nice. Overgrown lawns, broken tree limbs, and unmanicured shrubs are not inviting and frankly put, are an eyesore for the community. Get your lawn contracts in place. Be the hero for your building.

Checklist item 5: Parking lot maintenance

There is nothing more annoying for a customer to pull into your parking lot and hit pothole after pothole, and then not know where to park due to faded parking lines. The parking lot is the first impression a customer has when visiting your building. Think about how you feel when you drive into an uncared parking lot. Patching up the holes and getting fresh paint on the parking lines makes a huge difference. Call your patch and paint people and get on their list to be serviced.

Ben Stein quote: The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.

Other checklist items that need attention include:

6: Check the furnace and air-conditioning units, change filters, and make sure they work properly.

7: Check the light bulbs in the building, outside, and in the parking lot.

8: Make sure common areas are clean and safe.

9: Window cleaning.

10: Now is a good time to review leases and make sure rent is up to date. We run into this all the time! Don’t miss this step.

11: Are all your invoices paid?

12: Make sure your insurance and taxes are up to date.

These are just a few things to check in the Spring. Some things might already be done, yet others will take some time.

Wrapping up the Spring Checklist

Love this quote from Ben Stein, “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” That is exactly what you need to do with your commercial property. Do you want to do everything yourself? Or do you want your time back and have someone you trust to manage it?

Please know at excite Commercial Management, we can customize our services to your needs. For a free property analysis contact us here!

As promised, get your Spring Property Checklist here (free to download, PDF format).

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