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A little background: husband and I have lived our whole lives in SoCal (non-snow areas), and own rentals in SoCal (Orange County) and AZ (Scottsdale), so we never have to think about snow regarding our rentals.
I'm curious, is it normal or common for landlords (whether a fourplex or four-hundred-plex) to have snow removed from parking lots of their rentals? Based on my research, it seems pretty common that landlords will take care of snow removal from sidewalks, though I'm unclear if it's only public sidewalks (by the street) or all walkways on the property. I don't see any indication of whether or not landlords typically have snow removed from their parking lots, though.
Does it depend on how much snow the city/area typically gets in a winter? Any cities have laws that require landlords to clear walkways and/or parking lots?
The answer is yes and no. If the units in the 4-plex each have their own sidewalk then often it is the responsibility of the tenant to clear their own sidewalk.
If landlords clear parking lots and walks, it is not done every hour. The snow will be cleared and then it will snow some more and that will remain until the next scheduled clearing, maybe 24 hours later, maybe 48 hours later.
If you aren't used to snow and ice, buy some *** tracks for your shoes and invest in a bag of kitty litter or sand for your own porch. Even apartment dwellers own snow shovels in snowy areas.
The landlord can only plow the parking lot where the cars are not and you will have to do a small amount of digging to get your car out, and when you get home, all the cleared spaces might be taken and you might have to shovel a space for your car.
(the law is 48 hours to clear sidewalks in my area, but every area will have it's own laws or lack thereof. I only have houses and my tenants are responsible for their own snow removal, as stated in their rental agreement)
OK, that's a funny word to not be allowed to say. The word is a large, very hairy cow-like creature from the Himalayan region. *** Tracks are stretchy bands with studs that go over your shoes to give you excellent traction while walking on ice.
Hereabouts it typically works like this: if you're renting in a multi-unit with a common entrance, the building owner is responsible for clearing off snow from the entrance and sidewalk thereto, municipal sidewalk (if any) adjacent to the property, and parking lots (and ONLY parking lots -- if you just have a spot off the back alley or spot next to the building and not in a "lot" per se, you're generally responsible for digging yourself out).
If you're renting a SFH, you're usually on your own for that kind of stuff and lawn care too.
If you're renting a townhome with its own entrance, you may be responsible for clearing your own entrance or the HOA might take care of it, but the municipal sidewalk in front of the building (if any) is the HOA's responsibility.
These obligations are settled by lease clauses but that's typically how it works around here.
OK, that's a funny word to not be allowed to say. The word is a large, very hairy cow-like creature from the Himalayan region. *** Tracks are stretchy bands with studs that go over your shoes to give you excellent traction while walking on ice.
***? Y.a.k.? I like spinning the fiber from those big hairy animals.
There's no evident rhyme or reason to the censor, as far as I can tell.
On topic: In apartments, the sidewalks and parking lots are normally cleared by the management. In rental houses, that usually, in my experience, is up to the renter.
So it sounds like management typically pays to clear the lots, but not the parking spaces. Sounds reasonable. We are considering buying rentals in areas that get snow, so I am trying to account for snow-related expenses. If we decide to move forward with a purchase, I will look into snow removal costs.
So it sounds like management typically pays to clear the lots, but not the parking spaces. Sounds reasonable. We are considering buying rentals in areas that get snow, so I am trying to account for snow-related expenses. If we decide to move forward with a purchase, I will look into snow removal costs.
Plow services will usually do their best to clear as much of the lot off as possible. If there are unoccupied parking spots, they'll clear them off too. Depending on how thorough the plowing contractor is, and/or depending on how deep the snowfall is, they may ask tenants who are home to move their cars to spots that have been cleared off so they can get the rest of the lot cleared off. These are details you as a property manager generally don't have to worry about; just hire a competent plowing contractor and they'll take care of the rest.
When I rented in an apartment complex, snow removal for the paths and parking lot was provided. I've never had snow removal included with a townhome or sfh though.
Check out the municipal regulations on snow removel. Some towns have a 12 hour from the end of snowfall to have all public sidewalks cleared - of both ice and snow. So even if the snow is cleared, if it melts and ices over, you must salt/sand the walkways.
For all the many years I rented, apts with parking lots, the lot is the responsibility of management, and like stated above, if the tenants get their cars out of the way, the spaces will be cleared also. In 2 or 3-family homes, the landlord does not usually clear the walkway expecting that tenents will cooperate - and they usually do not. It's usually only one who does it all and is never thanked by the LL.
Also, there are many towns which prohibit on-street parking during snows, so consider that when deciding who is responsible for removing snow from the driveway or parking area.
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