The Darwin Wet Season is around the corner, with some great rainfall already! Don't forget to get onto wet season preparation maintenance to keep your property in tip top condition. Here's a handy list of maintenance tips that are good to tick off, incuding:

AIR CONS:  We'd ask that tenants do a regular clean of the filters.  For owners this is a great time to look at the annual servicing of all air conditioners at home. Regular servicing will lengthen the lifetime of the air con unit, keep electricity costs lowered as the unit will not be working as hard to keep cool, and it is a proactive action in ensuring tenants remain cool and not inconvenienced. Costs can be as low at $100 per unit. Have a look at this blog on air-conditioning maintenance for more info.

GARDENING:  Hard rubbish doesn't include green waste. So if palm fronds have piled up in the backyard, we'd suggest doing a tip run.  For owners It's also a good time of year to consider pruning and thinning of large plants around your gardens prior to the real onset of the wet season. 

We work with a number of gardeners that can attend to overall garden trim back and tidy – and report any irrigation issues to ensure the reticulation is maintained during the wet (yes, this is necessary too, to prevent wearing and leaks).

GUTTERS: Don't forget to ensure the gutters are clear of leaf debris. Failure to do so can cause the rainwater to build up in the gutters and cause roof leaks.

MOULD: Mould is a problem that can occur quite frequently in humid climates like Darwin, and cause headaches for property managers and tenants alike. Click here for some tips to prevent and deal with mould.

VACANCIES: Properties available for lease during the final months of the year are susceptible to extended vacancies due to an oversupply of property on the market, and a reduction in market activity at this time of year. To ensure that we can minimise your vacancy and maximise your income – please ensure that property upgrades and refurbishments are considered to maintain your property at a high standard and comparable to other properties on the market. You may want to consider bathroom and kitchen refurbishments, tile and grout cleaning, replacing discoloured and aging fans and electrical switches that have yellowed, consider some painting to life the presentation, replacement of appliances, re-laminating kitchen cupboard edges ... We can project a maintenance plan and upgrades list for your consideration – have you read your inspection reports lately and discussed this with your Property Manager?

For more tips and info on maintenance click here.

CYCLONE PREPARATIONS: Click here for some helpful tips on cyclone preparations and how to protect your residence against cyclone damage.

Please let your property manager know if you wish to arrange any of the above, or if we can help with obtaining some quotes.

 

Hard Rubbish Collection. 

A big part of preparing for the Wet Season is the annual hard rubbish collection arranged by your local council. Items such as whitegoods, furniture, scrap metal, bicycles and more will be collected to help residents tidy their yards.

Darwin: 

• Zone 2: Sunday 20 September 2020

Palmerston:

• 5 - 6 September, and 
• 3 - 4 October 2020. 

For more details on the hard rubbish collection zones click here.