5 Ways to Prepare for Fall and Winter
1. Ground & Emergency Lighting 
The fall months are a great time to improve your community's lighting, especially since it's easy to do, lowers costs and improves your building or community's efficiency.  
Check out this success story from Dallas high-rise, The Aventura: "Going Green: How a Dallas COA Flipped the LED Switch." See how a LED replacement strategy dramatically reduced energy costs. 
Check with your local utility company for available rebates or consult with your management company to make certain you’re getting the best value for your community. While you're at it, double-check emergency lighting, all batteries, and backup power supplies – are they charged and working? 
2. Spa & Pool
Check the pumps, clean/replace water filters and check your pipes for leaks or corrosion. Once the basics have been checked, backwash and drain the water from your filter tank before draining your pool to the manufacturer-recommended level. Store all pool equipment in a secure area and keep an eye out for safety or performance issues over the next few months.
If additional help is needed to do the job, a trusted management partner can assist with vendor selection. This will ensure the vendor is licensed and insured to protect your association from liability.
3. Landscaping
Depending on where you live, mowing may be considered a seasonal chore, but that doesn't mean to ignore your landscaping completely. The holiday months are the perfect time to spray for bugs and uproot weeds, and the best time for your community to aerate turf, start deep root fertilization and finish spot seeding. Check your equipment, including the irrigation system and watering timer. Store hoses before finally clearing any fallen leaves from drainage areas and bushes. If available, onsite staff may help with these duties, however, a good management company can recommend the most qualified landscaping firms should you need one. 
4. Seasonal Property Décor
Decorating for the holidays? Get an early start by reviewing decor plans with your property management and internal staff. You can even create a decorating committee to get things rolling. Make sure residents know the association's holiday decoration policies. 
If you need help with electrical items (string lights, motorized decorations, etc.), start your RFP (request for proposal) process with prospective vendors. Our biggest piece of advice: reduce fire hazards by trimming any deciduous trees before decorating them with lights.
5. Individual Homes
Seasonal weather prep isn't limited to the outside of your community – it means making sure everything is safe inside your home, too.   
What does that look like? Whether you live in a single-family home or high-rise building, this type of holiday preparation includes changing smoke detector batteries, cleaning or installing new furnace filters, having heating systems professionally examined, and cleaning out dryer vents.  One often-overlooked area is plumbing! Be sure to winterize your pipes appropriately for your area. Check your appliances for maintenance as well.
Winter will be here before you know it! By focusing on these five areas, you can prepare your home and community for anything the upcoming months may bring.
Source: First Service Residential
