Adorning the home with garlands and lights for the Christmas season is a time-honored tradition for renters and homeowners alike. Many tenants want to adorn their eaves and windows with strings of lights, adding a cheerful twinkle to long winter nights. However, decorating a house with Christmas lights is more difficult and more dangerous than putting up other holiday decorations. You can also never be quite sure what the final product will be, as everybody has varying concepts of what constitutes a tasteful holiday display. Because of these reasons, among others, Redmond landlords and property owners should rethink letting their renters hang Christmas lights on their own.
Consider the Risks
According to the authority of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are more than 1,000 serious injuries triggered by hanging Christmas decorations each year. Falls, electrical shocks, cuts, and abrasions– especially if they’re severe enough to send people to the emergency room– are some of the injuries that are regarded as latent dangers of hanging lights.
Another liability risk includes decorations that break the regulations of Common Interest Communities (commonly known as Homeowner Associations) and other local governments. A CIC, in particular, may have strict rules limiting the type and quantity of Christmas decorations approved for use, as well as the days and duration that they may be displayed. If your tenant violates CIC regulations, you may find yourself on the hook for fines, disciplinary action, or other unwanted consequences.
In managing your property to be in compliance, you may be required to tell the renters to refrain from hanging their own Christmas lights. While no one wants to be a holiday Grinch and steal Christmas from the tenants, there is a liability that comes with them doing their own Christmas decorating. This is not something that property owners can afford to leave to chance. For that reason, it is important to talk about and recognize what you consider prudent holiday decorating guidelines with your renters.
In Conclusion
No matter the season, it’s critical to supervising your properties carefully, a service that is a requisite function of the Real Property Management Eclipse approach to property management. Our expert property managers comprehend the worth of completing regular property evaluations and looking after the safety of your tenants and in observance of their lease. For more information, please contact us online or call us at 425-209-0252 today.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
