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5 Pool Safety Tips for Landlords

Greetings Real Estate Investors,

Well unless you have been living inside an Air Conditioned cave for the last few weeks you have realized that summer is officially here.  The temperatures are soaring and you can’t walk from the office to your car without breaking a sweat. But for those who are luck enough to still be in school the heat also means it is summer vacation. And that means it is also pool time in South Florida.  So if you own home has a pool or any of your rental properties have pools now is the time to think about what you need to do to protect the children and adults that will be using it.

We have compiled a list of basic safety tips for all pools but also considered some extra issues that landlords need to be especially vigilant of…1. Restrict Entry
This is probably the most important thing you have to do and it is actually mandated by law in Miami-Dade county and most other counties.  There must be a barrier to entry of at least 48″ to keep people from accidentally stumbling into the pool and drowning.  Now if you have a fence around the property then that will satisfy your legal obligation but you should also consider an actual pool fence surrounding the pool itself because while a fence will keep outsiders from getting in the pool the people you really want to protect live inside that fence and could still tumble in if there is no pool fence.

2. Install Alarms
There are two kinds of alarms for pool entry and both are relatively cheap.  The first is an entry alarm that goes on the pool fence.  It will sound if anyone tries to enter without inputting the override command.  This is the cheaper kind and works great but only if you have a pool fence.  If you don’t have a pool fence there is also a motion alarm that can be added to the pool itself which will sound if there is any agitation to the water, such as that which occurs when somebody or something enters the pool.  This could also warm you if an alligator has gotten in your pool so that is a nice bonus to avoid a nasty surprise.  Either way the motion sensor is a little less than $200 on Amazon and a small price to pay for peace of mind that a child will not drown in your pool.

3. Inspect Tiles
The around around the pool is also incredibly dangerous as it tends to be a place where a lit of running (and thus slipping and falling) takes place.  Remember if somebody is hurt at your rental property as a result of lack of maintenance such as with broken tiles you can be sued.  A thorough inspection of the tiles around the pool should be performed to ensure that there are no loose, cracked or otherwise deficient tiles.  You may also want to check roof tiles at this time as a result of our next tip…

4. Restrict Roof Access
If you grew up in South Florida there is a good chance either you or one of your friends jumped off the roof of a house into the swimming pool.  It is a very stupid thing to do but when kids (especially teenagers) are left to their own devices it actually probably happens more than you think.  The best way to avoid this is to make it as difficult as possible to get up on the roof of your property.  If you have ladders in a shed make sure it is locked and if there are any other easy ways to get on the roof make sure they are blocked.

5. Check Drain Covers
One of the main ways that kids get stuck and end of drowning is because pool drain covers are either missing or improperly installed.  Kids will put their hands in just about anything so make sure that the covers are basically impossible to remove and you will greatly reduce the possibility of freak accidents occurring at your property.

Of course there are several other precautions that should be taken when you are supervising children at a pool but these are the main property management considerations that you should put into place to ensure the safety of anyone who is going to be in around a pool at one of your properties.

Enjoy the summer with peace of mind. Of course we can advise you on these tips as well as countless others that will help you get the most out of your real estate investments.  Please call us at 305-517-3900 to speak with one of our representatives about how we can professionally manage your property.

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