2018 was an interesting and challenging year to be a property manager in our region. We really had to be ready for anything (mainly water)!
During just one storm in Spring last year we had nearly 50 of the houses we manage impacted by severe hail damage. Siding was destroyed and needed to be replaced. Roofing was destroyed and needed to be replaced. There was more damage than we knew what to do with. Insurance companies became weeks behind in getting out to inspect the damage. We saw an influx of storm chasing contracting companies pop up and begin to work remedying the issues. It took most of last year to get caught up from the impact of this storm.
Before many of the repairs even had a chance to get started from that storm, we were hit with the beginning of the rains that have now become the wettest year on record. If there is one thing that will eventually highlight the weaknesses in a house over time - It is water. Unfortunately, 2018 gave us enough of it, consistently enough that the flaws were most certainly found.
It worsened the grief for many of the owners who already had the sucker punch of dealing with the damage from the hail storm. Owners that thought they’d gotten by realized they may not have gotten lucky after all. Roofs leaked and basements flooded. Sump pumps failed. On just one day, with one of the heaviest rains, we had 20 houses with sump pump failure alone!
For some it was almost too much to bare. For us, we were inundated with maintenance responses and upset tenants and worried owners. We just did our job. We kept responding to each new tenant call the same way we had done the last. We coordinated between our property owners and the insurance company whenever required and eventually, we got through all of the repairs. There is no denying however, that it was a very memorable, stressful year for many rental home owners and property managers alike.
