6 Tips for Effective Handling of Rented Property Maintenance

For a home owner renting out his property, one of the biggest and challenging problems faced is the maintenance of the rented property. The maintenance or repair costs can increase substantially when the rented property is old.

Effective handling of the rented property is very important if you do not want to lose your hard earned money. Below are some tips for handling maintenance issues efficiently.

6 Tips for Effective Handling of Rented Property Maintenance

v    Do not ignore the tenant’s complaints: It is always good to listen to your tenants complaints and understand the problems faced by them. By listening to the problem faced by the tenant, you can understand the real issue and find out a solution for it before it become worse.

v   Handover the responsibility of the rented property maintenance to a property management company: Maintaining your rented property and doing repair work whenever required is not a tiring process that can bring about a lot of stress and tension. If you are not someone who likes working under stress, it is good to hire the service of a professional property management company. By hiring a property management company, you can make sure your rented property is regularly inspected and proper maintenance is carried out on a regular basis. This will help you avoid costly maintenance and keep your tenants happy.

v      Create a regular maintenance plan: If you are managing your rented property on your own, it is good to create a regular maintenance plan so that you know what to do and when. By keeping a proper record of the maintenance, you can avoid unwanted expenses and keep your rented property in good condition.

v    Handle the maintenance based on its severity: Another way for effective handling of rented property maintenance is to create a severity level. By noting down common issues and assigning them a severity, you can efficiently handle each maintenance call. A maintenance call that is listed under the “urgent” category should be addressed now and then. Whereas, a maintenance call that comes under the category “low” can be addressed later. It is good to share the severity list with your tenants so that they are also aware of the high priority items and low priority items.

v       Skill set: Once you know the severity of the maintenance, the next step is to have the right skills for completing the work. As a landlord, you should know whom to contact for your maintenance work so that you don’t have to run around in the last minute. Even though calling a professional can be expensive, in the long run, it can save a lot of money. This is because a professional property maintenance person completes the work on time and ensures to do a high quality job compared to a non-skilled person.

v       Use good quality material: When doing repairs, it is important for the landlord to use good material so that your rented property will remain in good condition. If you don’t use the appropriate materials, it will impact the quality of your work and reduce the efficiency of your property.

Conclusion

If you need to get good returns on your property investment, you need to do regular maintenance. By following the tips discussed above, you can efficiently handle maintenance and keep your property in good condition. 

 

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5 Tips on How to Grow Your Family Vegetable Garden

As people are growing more aware of the importance of healthy food, naturally, they want to know what they put in their body. The best way to do this is by growing your own food. While having an animal farm may be a bit demanding, growing your own vegetables isn’t. Everyone can do it with these 5 tips.

Estimate the size

 

Depending on the size of the lot available, and the number of people in your household, a sufficient size of a vegetable garden is approximately anywhere between 10x10 feet, to 10x18 feet. Don’t be discouraged by this, you can have your tiny vegetable garden on a balcony or even in an indoor window box. A smaller-sized garden will not provide a season’s worth of vegetables, but it will allow you to grow your favorite herbs and some vegetables e.g. cherry tomatoes.

Choose a location

Most vegetables need a lot of sunlight, even 6-7 hours of sunlight a day. While you cannot affect the weather, you can choose the best location in your backyard/balcony to allow enough sun for your plants on a sunny day. With each type of vegetable you grow, you need to find out exactly how much space a single plant needs so you know how far apart to plant them. Also, pay attention to which crops you’re putting next to each other as you don’t want smaller plants to have to grow in the shadow of larger plants.

Prepare the soil

It is up to you to decide whether you want to use raised or sunken beds in your garden. They each have its advantages and are suitable for certain regions. For good yield, it is crucial to prepare the soil by mixing it with homemade compost and mulch. There are certain plants known to enrich the soil, legumes, such as peas and beans. You can move these around your garden each season, and plant something else in their place to secure a sufficient nitrogen level for the new crop. Different plants need different amounts of water but they all need it. By rule, you water plants early in the morning, or in the evening when the sun is not too strong. Hoselink retractable hose reels are a good solution for a smaller garden that does not require a big water system.

Don’t forget compost and mulch

Take some time to make your own compost. Basically, you want to create conditions for organic matter to decompose and its nutrients be absorbed into the soil. You can use dead plants and weeds from cleaning your garden to make compost and thus create less garbage. You will need a container to do this. You can make one yourself, or you can buy it, whichever suits you better.  Same goes for mulch, you can have it made naturally out of wood, pine straws etc. Make sure you clean the garden regularly and avoid using chemicals as it may affect both the fruit quality and the soil. 

Read this also : How a composter works.

Pick the right vegetables

When deciding on vegetables for your garden, you should go by two rules, make it something you and your family like the most and make it easy to grow. The things we usually have in our gardens are tomatoes, potatoes, peas, carrots, radishes, cabbage, zucchinis, lettuce. Some of the vegetables yield more than once so they may be a good choice, as those that yield only once, leave you with empty space in your garden. When this happens, you need to find a crop that can be planted later in the season so it may still yield in due time for your family to enjoy. Make sure you know what seeds you are buying. An organic garden may grow less yield but it is a healthy one.

Growing your own vegetables provides fun, a nice piece to look at in your backyard, a money saver and a nutritionist.

 

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Why You Should Invest in a Ductless HVAC System

Ductless Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners across the country because of their ability to provide consistent, reliable comfort. As the name implies, ductless HVAC systems (also known as mini splits) are equipment that provide heating and air conditioning at home but do not require running ductwork. Instead, they are composed of two sets of components: an interior, wall-hung unit, and an outdoor unit linked with refrigerant piping. HVAC units operate similarly to window AC units but are more efficient and quieter because of their advanced technological design.

If you’re looking to invest in a ductless HVAC system for your home, here is a brief guide that outlines the advantages and disadvantages of ductless HVAC equipment to help you make the right decision.

Pros of Ductless HVAC Systems

●      High Energy Efficiency - The biggest advantage of a ductless system is its energy efficiency. Unlike its larger ducted counterparts, ductless systems are not prone to air loss or thermal leakage since there are no ducts. Leaky or uninsulated ducts can result in air loss, which account for than 30 percent of energy consumption of traditional ducted distribution systems.

●      Monthly Savings - Since ductless HVAC systems consume less energy, homeowners can also expect reduced heating and cooling cost by 30 percent or more. These significant monthly savings are very helpful, especially as utility costs across the country have skyrocketed in recent years. In addition to saving on energy costs, installing ductless systems may

●      Quick and Easy Installation - Traditional ducted systems often take several weeks to install, which may disrupt daily activities at home. Ductless systems, on the other hand, are less complicated and much easier to install since there is no ductwork involved. There is also no need for rebuilding walls or ceilings since the units are less bulky. Only a few small pipes are needed to connect the indoor and outdoor unit. Ductless HVAC units are, therefore, far less invasive and can be up and running in a day.

●      Improved Indoor Air Quality - Due to the rise in respiratory illnesses, more and more homeowners are growingly concerned about the indoor air quality of their home. Poor indoor air quality is often caused by various sources, including household products, dirty filters, and contaminated outdoor air leaked into the home by faulty ductwork. With ductless systems, homeowners can be assured of better indoor air quality because of the equipment’s multi-stage filtration technology. This technology helps eliminate dust, bacteria, allergens, and other contaminants in the air.

●      Flexibility - Ductless HVAC systems also give homeowners flexibility in terms of interior design and arrangement options. The indoor air-handling unit can be incorporated into the existing layout or design of the room - either placed high up on the ceiling or mounted on the wall - or placed in an inconspicuous area so it will be out of sight. Plus, since the unit is remote controlled, anyone can easily operate the system and customize it with zero hassle.

●      Quiet Operation -  In addition to its energy efficiency, allergen filtration, and personalized comfort, ductless systems also offer a much quieter performance compared to traditional systems. This is because most of the noisy components of the system are located in the outdoor unit.

Cons of Ductless HVAC Systems

●      Higher Upfront Cost - Although ductless HVAC systems can bring significant savings over time, it’s upfront installation costs can be high. The upfront cost, however, can be recovered in the long run.

●      Sizing - Homeowners may also run into some problems if the wrong size is used. The HVAC system must be neither too small nor too large in order to meet the heating or cooling requirements of the space. If the system is too small, it will need to work twice as hard and cost more to operate. On the other hand, if the system is too large, it will also waste energy and money. This is why it’s important to consult with a qualified contractor to find the the correct sizing of the equipment.

●      Aesthetic - Another disadvantage of ductless HVAC systems is that they aren’t very design-friendly. They’re only offered in standard white or beige colors and can’t be covered.

Ductless HVAC systems are excellent options for homeowners who want to achieve consistent comfort in their homes and better energy efficiency.

Written by APM Construction Services, a construction and home maintenance company that is the best choice for heatingand cooling in Columbia, MO.

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The best brunch places in London you need to try now

How to celebrate a perfect weekend in the heart of London? We have been asking this question to ourselves, to bloggers and lifestyle experts over and over. Every time the answer is the same – add some food to the day.

London is the home of hearty brunches that are more than waffles and sunny-side ups. Let us explore the best brunch experiences in the city right here –

Bad Egg, Central London

Although the name says so, there are no bad eggs at the Bad Egg. This is the dude food with attitude kind of place with a scruffy look. This making hanging out in your jammies seem completely normal at 11 am! The “Frunch” is quite the event here. Punk soundtracks and neon lights complement this Friday night lunch is perfect. The North American influence in the menu is quite apparent with their mini tacos and pancakes with fried chicken toppings.

This place is a rave for its unlimited Bloody Marys, Prosecco and mimosas at £35pp.

Beany Green 

Beany Green offers a brunch of a lifetime for those interested in exploring the nature inspired treats of London. This Aussie café has an all-day menu that includes broccoli and corn fritters with banana bread sarnies filled with mascarpone, almonds and berries. It is a new delight for the eyes and the tastebuds. If you have a sweet tooth, the banana bread sandwich is a must from Beany Green. Pocket pink is around £30 for two. Browse through the GourmetGuide Restaurant Gift Vouchers to see if you can find any exciting offers on this eatery.

Bourne & Hollingsworth

This black building is rather imposing from the outside. From the inside, Bourne & Hollingsworth is every bit of an open colonial British restaurant as possible. It transports the diners from the heart of the city to a colonial era Delhi with its elegant décor and period furnishing. It is the ideal place for laid-back brunches, a few bottomless cocktails and interesting gossip. This is a place where you can catch up with an old friend and propose to your love over a warm New York-inspired brunching platter. Do not forget the sinfully delicious huevosbenedictos with spicy chorizo and béarnaise sauce.

Chiltern Firehouse

The Chiltern Firehouse is a London restaurant that has a long waitlist. You have to be an A-list celebrity to get your reservations.TheChiltern Firehouse does brunch between 11 am an 3 pm during the weekends. It is marginally easier to get tables. The prices are akin to some of the best 3 Michelin Star establishments in the UK. The food is delectable, and the presentation is a work of art. The restaurant accepts no reservations, so get there as early as you can.

There is no better way to celebrate your lazy weekend than eating out with your special someone and your friends. Forget early breakfasts, awkwardly early lunches. These restaurants add some style to the bunching scene in London.

Author Bio: Franck Lloyd is a self-taught chef and food reviewer. He loves to explore new places and try new things. That is why to win Gourmet Guide Restaurant Gift Vouchers follow this blog.

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