What You Should Know About Property Preservation

The business of property preservation involves restoring properties that have been damaged by storm, tenant abuse, or vandalism as well as preparing vacant properties after sales or foreclosures and between tenancy. This will apply to the interior and exterior of a property, including the removal of belongings and debris left behind, changing locks, cleaning all surfaces, and perhaps gardening or yard work. In some cases, this can entail arranging for the removal of large items such as appliances, furniture, lawn maintenance equipment or even automobiles. These services often can be accomplished by a single property preservation company. However, the complete restoration of a property may also include the services of one or more outside contracted services that specialize in certain aspects of property preservation.

The first step in property preservation will be to inspect the property for an overview of all cleaning, item removal, and repairs that will be necessary to restore the property into a usable condition. In some cases, this will require the arranging of professional contractor services to address structural damage or repairs to major appliances. Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing or electrical systems may also need to be serviced by third-party entities. The services of a licensed building inspector may be required or desired, depending on the damage and/or the level of surety for property preservation.

In cases of pending evictions, part of property preservation may include verifying tenancy and inspecting the property to assess the current condition and to determine if any damages have been incurred to the property. This part of the service will often include the attendance of a law enforcement officer to belay any untoward actions by current tenants of the property. The property preservation service at this point may or may not infer the representation of the owner or property manager.

Damage to the property will be estimated during the property preservation process. This may be done by those entities hired for property preservation, depending on appropriate licensure for the needed repairs. Otherwise, third-party licensed contractors may be needed to address repair estimation and bidding. These damage estimates may include, but are not limited to: electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC systems, telecommunication systems, structural systems, and possibly extermination and pest control.

The restoration of a property to a presentable condition will be an issue of terms agreement between the owner or property management and the property preservation entity. Many of these entities carry licensing that qualifies them to address any and all aspects of property damage and restoration. A fully-qualified property preservation company will be able to completely restore a property and its grounds to an acceptable level of usability, according to the requirements and contract terms of the owner or property management.