HAA Blog

The forecast for our area  includes freezing temperatures this week.

This is a great time to communicate with your residents about cold weather precautions for your property. 

You may want to remind chilly renters about space heater safety by downloading door hangers in English or Spanish  from the Houston Fire Department.

Remind residents to get rid of Christmas Trees now, before they dry out further and become a bigger fire hazard.

Pets and balcony plants should be brought indoors to safeguard against the chilly temperatures.

Have your maintenance personnel check the wraps on your pipes and repair any that have become uncovered.  Also, be ready to tackle icy walk ways and landings.

Most importantly, remind residents to report any problems to the office immediately.

For more safety tips, visit www.SafeInMyPlace.com.  

Check out this article  from Lowes for Pros on the importance of keeping ice and snow cleared from your property.

Great tips from KHOU on protecting people, plants and pets in the cold weather can be found here .

Here is part of a sample notice to residents regarding freezing weather that HAA Member, MORGAN, is using on their 2121 Mid Lane property.

"NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS

Severe subfreezing weather is forecasted. Water pipes in our apartment community may freeze and break unless we all act quickly. If pipes freeze, we may have to cut off the water to the entire building. In addition, if there are wide spread pipe breakage throughout the city, it may be days before we are able to repair the pipes to continue hot and cold water service in your unit. Therefore, please help us by taking the following action:

IMMEDIATE ACTION when temperatures drop:

· Please leave the heat on 24 hours a day at a reasonable temperature setting. Keep all windows closed. Be sure to leave open the cabinet doors under the kitchen sink and bathroom sink to allow heat to reach the plumbing.

· Drip all your water 24 hours a day at a steady drip when you are in the apartment and when you are gone. This includes cold and hot water in your kitchen sink, bath lavatories, bath tubs, and showers, wet bar sinks, etc. until it is safe to turn the faucets off. As everyone in the city drips their faucets, the water pressure may drop, the dripping or stream may subside, and you may have to open the faucets some more.

· Notify management as soon as possible if you notice any water running from a building or from under your walls.

As authorized in the lease, the management may be entering the apartments for spot checks."