Page 45 - amm1

Continued from page CS-17
4. BUILD WITH THE RIGHT ROOFING MATERIALS
Do you know the fire rating or your property’s roofing material? Roofs are classified as Class A, Class B, Class C or unrated. Class A materials are the most fireproof, and unrated materials offer the lease amount of fire protection.
It’s important to protect your property with Class A materials. The rating could apply to several types of material:
• Concrete
• Clay
• Fiberglass asphalt
• Metal
• Wood (if treated to meet Class A requirements)
A professional roofing service can provide the best consultation and options for your property.
5. CREATE AN EXIT PLAN FOR YOUR TEAM & RESIDENTS
One of the best ways to protect your community during wildfire season is to provide your residents with an exit plan in case of an emergency. This is something you can easily text or email via Yardi Breeze and Yardi Breeze Premier, which ensures the information never gets lost (and is easy to resend).
• Provide evacuation routes and nearby emergency shelters
• Ask residents to close windows and doors before evacuating
• Establish special roles for your team so residents know who to contact with questions
• Practice fire drills with your office
• Make sure emergency exit routes are posted around your property as required by law
6. GET INSURANCE
Breeze and Breeze Premier makes it easy for you to provide renters insurance. Many property managers are able to sign renters up with our preferred provider, ResidentShield, during the online lease signing. This type of insurance does not cover your property from wildfire damage, but it does cover your residents’ belongings. It also
provides temporary living expenses if the residence is uninhabitable due to a covered loss.
WHAT ABOUT HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE?
It’s a mistake to try to cover your property with homeowners insurance. Owner-occupants, who homeowners insurance is meant for, face different risk factors (and pricing) than landlords.
Only the right landlord insurance policy can cover your property for wildfire damage. Make sure you’re properly covered so you never have to worry about facing a denied claim.
7. Help your residents put together an emergency kit
Get ahead of wildfire season by making an emergency kit. It doesn’t have to be a big, expensive endeavor. Everything you need, with the exception of your water, can probably fit in a medium-sized backpack or duffel bag. If you’ve ever been through a disaster before, you know that grocery stores empty out quickly. Finding food and water immediately after the disaster has happened can be difficult.
Emergency kit items that help you prepare for a natural disaster:
• Non-perishable food and water to last several days
• First aid supplies
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Blankets, gloves, coats, etc.
• An emergency radio
• A copy of your escape plan and the locations of nearby emergency shelters
Disclaimer
This article is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute nor replace legal counsel. Consult a professional service to determine the wildfire season readiness of your properties. And please approach fire safety with extreme caution. Wildfires that are hot enough and/or move quickly enough can easily thwart your best preparation efforts.
Yardi Breeze is property management software designed for you. Our refreshingly simple platform puts you in charge of marketing and managing your entire portfolio, with support for residential, commercial, affordable, self storage, HOA/ condo and manufactured properties. Rest easy knowing your reports are accurate with Yardi’s trusted, built-in account- ing system to track your revenue and expenses. And since Breeze is in the cloud, you can work from anywhere and get fantastic support when you need it.
APARTMENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE - AUGUST 2021
CS-23