Having a clean rental property is more important now than ever.

Break out the brooms, drag out the dish towels, and mosey on down with a mop in your hand. It’s time for spring cleaning. For rental property owners, this means getting your investment into pristine condition for prospective residents or addressing the seasonal concerns of current residents. Let’s find out how to spruce up your property and keep them happy long into the season.

1. Check on Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Not only will this step keep your residents safe, but it will also keep you out of trouble and within housing regulations. The recommended time to replace batteries in these devices is during the spring and fall Daylight Savings Time. This is an easy fix that can prevent a disaster, especially if your residents aren’t able to check it themselves (or are a resident who would disable detectors rather than listen to them beep).

2. Clear Out Clogged Drains

What better time than now to make sure sinks and bathtubs are draining properly? If you have a serious clog, a drain snake might be necessary. For slow drains and regular maintenance, vinegar and baking soda work as a natural fix. Simply pour ½ to 1 cup of baking soda onto the drain. Boil a large pot of water while you wait. Pour vinegar onto the baking soda, and then wash it all down with the pot of boiling water.

3. Maintain Furnace and AC

As furnace use ramps down and air conditioning (central air or window units) kicks into gear, fine-tuning each now would be a good decision. Furnace and air conditioning filters should be replaced to maximize efficiency. If you’re extreme about spring cleaning, you can take an air conditioning unit apart to clean it. Alternatively, there’s a small filter you can pull out for a quick clean.

4. Examine the Exterior

Fall and winter often leave behind a few maintenance projects for us. For example, spring is a great time to clean out your gutters to avoid springing any leaky roofs. While you’re up there, you can take a look at the rest of the roof for signs of any damage from fallen branches or other debris. Broken or missing shingles, missing roof flashing, and damaged gutters should all be promptly addressed.

5. Tackle Landscaping

A contractor can take care of a lot of these tasks at a fair price, but if you’re looking to save money or enjoy outdoor projects, these are for you. You can reseed grass patches, plant flowers, trim the hedges, and get ready for the invasion of weeds to come.  If you have hedges, trim them down to size and clear out any stray branches. Keep the lawn well-maintained and any outdoor furniture clean. Don’t forget to wash the windows for extra curb appeal. The outside of your property is the first impression for prospective residents—make it a good one.

6. Flush Your Water Heater

If you’re not familiar with water heaters, this may be best left to a professional (a broken water heater isn’t cheap to replace). If you have the time and experience, you can flush it yourself to increase the unit’s life and efficiency. Flushing the tank removes any debris collecting at the bottom which can cause damage and make the water heater work harder to do the same job.

7. Prepare the Pool

If you own an apartment community or other property with a pool, it’s almost time to get it up and running. Make sure you have supplies like a deck brush, skimmer, thermometer, and chemical supplies. If you have a tennis court or other recreational field, now is the time to start moving everything back into place and opening facilities. The sooner they’re up and operational, the sooner you can show them off in all of their glory to prospective residents.

8. Check out the Crawl Space

If your property has a crawl space, you’ve probably already encountered some of its many hazards. That hazard may be a furry creature living within, a leak that’s starting to wreak havoc, or other wood or water damage. Spotting and correcting these issues now can save you a small fortune in the future.

Once you get into the habit of spring cleaning your properties, running through the list will become second nature. Each of these tips will help you bring in and maintain residents. Plus, if they see how well you treat your properties, they’ll be more likely to take care of them as well.