Do Not Neglect Vacant Property

3/12/2019 (Permalink)

The old adage is “out of sight, out of mind.” If you are a busy commercial property owner or manager you have a lot on your plate. Your priority tends to revolve around taking care of issues of the occupied spaces under your care. Neglecting vacant property this time of year however, can be disastrous.

One of the greatest issue we see this time of year is a lack of adequate heat in vacant structures. The key word is adequate! We were called to a vacant property in Joplin last winter during extremely low temperatures. The heat was on, set to 55 degrees. The problem, the plumbing was above a suspended ceiling. The air around that plumbing was not 55 degrees, it was well below freezing and the plumbing froze and burst in multiple places. That was a mistake that cost the owners tens of thousands of dollars.

Best case scenario is to winterize the property, shutting off the water supply and flushing the system. But that is not always an option. If the water supply is left on, be conscience of the temperature WHERE the plumbing is.