Preparing a rental for winter: a landlord's checklist

Heating: professional service and written records

Before the cold sets in, arrange for a qualified heating professional to service the system. Gas boilers, oil systems and heat pumps each need different checks, and the work belongs with the contractor rather than the owner. Booking early reduces the risk of a breakdown in the first cold spell with no one available to come.

Where the landlord is required to provide heat, Massachusetts law treats it as a basic obligation. The state sanitary code, 105 CMR 410, sets minimum standards that include heat and hot water, and c.186 §14 penalizes a landlord who willfully fails to furnish required heat or interferes with utility service. Ask the technician for a written report listing what was checked, any parts replaced and the condition of the equipment, and keep it with the invoice and the company's contact details, including how to reach them after hours.

Pipes in cold spaces: a professional assessment

Many Greater Boston homes have basements, crawl spaces, unheated hallways and exterior walls where water lines can freeze. Do not open walls, reroute pipes or put improvised heaters in these spaces. Ask a licensed plumber or contractor to walk through them and identify pipes exposed to cold air.

Ask the professional which exposure, air leaks or pipe locations need attention, and what protection suits this particular building. The assessment should also account for required ventilation and service access. Keep the findings, the approved work and the completion records together. They help with later review, but they do not automatically show legal compliance or settle who is liable for a loss.

Tenants: heating guidance, reporting and holiday absences

Before winter, send tenants a short written note explaining how the thermostat works, why keeping the home heated protects the pipes, and how to report a cold room or a heating problem. Explaining the reason works better than issuing rules, and early reports let a technician deal with a fault before it becomes a burst pipe.

Include the safety basics. Anyone who smells gas should leave the building and call 911 and the gas company from outside, without switching appliances on or off. A loss of heat or power that creates a hazard should go to the appropriate emergency service and a qualified repair company; tenants do not need the landlord's approval to keep themselves safe.

Around the holidays, many homes sit empty for days. Ask tenants, as a voluntary step, to share planned absence dates and a backup contact, and remind them not to turn the heat off while away. If the heat fails, treat it as an urgent repair: get a qualified technician out and keep the tenant informed. Massachusetts law prohibits using utility cutoffs, lockouts or interference with the home to pressure a tenant, in winter as at any other time.

Vacant units: regular checks and continuous utilities

An empty unit is at higher risk in cold weather because a loss of heat can go unnoticed until pipes burst. Occasional drive-bys are not enough. Arrange checks by a property manager or home watch service working from a set checklist: heat running, no signs of water, doors and windows secure.

Between tenancies, confirm with each utility that electricity, gas or heating oil stays on in the owner's name without a gap. Keep a dated record of every visit, with the indoor heating condition, meter readings and photos. If the unit will be empty for a longer period, ask a licensed plumber whether draining the system or other freeze protection is appropriate for this building, and do not operate unfamiliar valves yourself.

Insurance: heating, freeze and vacancy conditions

Before winter, ask your insurance agent or carrier which heating, freeze-prevention, occupancy and vacancy conditions apply to your policy. Confirm whether any notice, inspection or other step is required, and get the relevant wording in writing. Coverage and exclusions depend on the actual contract and facts; do not assume a standard requirement or a guaranteed payment.

If the unit will be vacant, describe the actual plan to the carrier and ask whether a change or endorsement is needed. Keep the reply, the maintenance records and the inspection logs. These help show what happened, but neither a report nor an invoice guarantees coverage or proves that every legal duty has been met.

Snow and ice: who clears what

Check the snow and ice rules for the property's city or town, along with any building documents and the type of access involved. Do not assume a general lease clause moves every duty to the tenant. In Boston, for example, the city's housing code guidance says a tenant can be responsible for snow removal only if the exit serves only that tenant's unit, and the lease must say so. Confirm the rules for entrances, shared steps, walkways and any adjoining public sidewalk with the local authority or an appropriate adviser, and record who arranges and checks each task.

If you hire a snow contractor, sign a written agreement covering the areas to clear, what triggers a visit, how ice is treated and whom to contact. Spell out shared walkways, parking areas and the path to the trash bins. In a heavy storm or icy conditions, the priority is a safe way in and out of the building.

Winter preparation tracker

One row per task: who handles it, what record to keep and what to check afterward.