The 2026 Rental Owner Kickoff Guide, Part 1
January in Billings doesn’t ask permission — it hits your property with freezing temperatures, ice buildup, and unpredictable storm cycles that can cost thousands if you’re not prepared. Before the next cold snap arrives, now is the time to get ahead of winter damage, reduce emergency calls, and protect your investment so 2026 starts clean, profitable, and stress-free.
If you own a rental home or multi-family unit in Billings, these winter checkups are not optional — they’re the difference between steady cash flow and unexpected expenses. As a company that lives and breathes Billings Property Management, we see the same preventable issues show up every winter. And the truth? A little planning now saves owners enormous headaches later.
This guide will walk you through the winter essentials every landlord should be doing right now — plus what Premier Property Management proactively handles on your behalf so your property stays safe, your tenants stay warm, and you avoid unnecessary liability.
Why Winter Demands Extra Attention for Billings Rentals
Billings winters are unique. The temperatures swing hard, the wind is brutal, and freeze-thaw cycles wreak havoc on roofs, gutters, foundations, and exterior surfaces. For rental owners, that means your maintenance strategy must shift in the winter months — especially if you want to avoid:
Frozen pipes
Furnace failures
Ice dams
Slippery sidewalks
Roof runoff problems
Emergency maintenance calls
Liability claims
Big repair bills
This is where owners ask us the same question every year:
“What should I be checking right now so I don’t get hit with expensive problems later?”
Here’s your detailed, professionally curated checklist.
1. Furnace Filter Changes & Annual Service: Your First Line of Defense
If there’s one thing every landlord must stay ahead of in Billings, it’s the furnace. When temperatures drop below zero, furnaces work overtime — and even a minor issue can escalate into a full unit outage, frozen pipes, and emergency HVAC calls that come with premium winter pricing.
Why Furnace Filters Matter More Than You Think
A dirty filter restricts airflow, forcing the furnace to work harder than designed. In winter, this leads to:
Overheating
System shutdowns
Higher tenant utility costs
Shortened equipment lifespan
That’s a triple hit: unhappy tenants, higher expenses, and expensive repairs.
We recommend:
Filters changed every 90 days
A minimum of one furnace inspection per year
Documentation of maintenance for insurance and liability protection
At Premier, our winter protocol includes tracking filter changes, sending tenant reminders, and issuing service orders when we identify red flags. This one step alone saves owners hundreds each season.
Annual Furnace Servicing = Fewer Emergencies
Our data from dozens of Billings rentals shows that units with fall furnace tune-ups experience 40–60% fewer winter outages.
A proper service includes:
Burner inspection
Heat exchanger check
Safety controls testing
Carbon monoxide monitoring
Cleaning components
Verifying system efficiency
This isn’t about being thorough — it’s about protecting your investment and ensuring tenant safety, which reduces liability exposure.
When owners hire a property manager to handle these systems proactively, they avoid the two things every owner hates: emergencies and expensive surprises.
2. Snow Removal Expectations: Owner vs. Tenant vs. HOA Rules
Snow removal is one of the biggest sources of confusion — and conflict — for rental owners. Who is responsible? What happens if someone slips? What does the lease say? And what happens if a tenant doesn’t do their part?
Here’s the truth: clarity protects everyone.
Snow removal responsibility should always be:
Explicit in the lease
Reinforced in writing before winter
Documented for liability protection
If the Tenant Is Responsible
They must keep:
Sidewalks clear
Driveways shoveled
Ice treated with de-icer
But here’s the gap: many tenants don’t understand the urgency of snow removal in Billings. When they delay, you — the owner — carry the liability.
Which means:
If someone slips, the claim often goes to you.
This is why Property Management companies like Premier include clear winter reminders, accountability measures, and documented communication.
If the Owner or HOA Is Responsible
You must ensure contractors:
Show up consistently
Use proper ice melt
Don’t block tenant vehicles
Maintain ADA-safe pathways
Premier coordinates snow vendors and monitors performance to ensure compliance. If your property falls under an HOA, we cross-reference their obligations so nothing slips through the cracks.
Why Owners Care
Because a single slip-and-fall injury can cost more than a full year of proactive snow care.
Avoiding lawsuits is far cheaper than defending one.
3. Gutters: The #1 Overlooked Winter Hazard in Billings
Most owners think gutter cleaning is a fall task — but winter is where the real damage happens.
When gutters are clogged with leaves, debris, or compacted snow, runoff has only one place to go: down the wrong side of your property. That’s when problems begin:
Ice dams
Foundation cracks
Basement seepage
Frozen sidewalks
Driveway ice sheets (aka “the liability ice skating rink”)
If your gutters are overflowing or frozen solid, the ice runoff can create hazardous walking paths. And in Billings, where temperatures can swing 40 degrees in two days, this freeze-thaw cycle is constant.
What You Should Check Right Now
Were gutters properly cleaned in the fall?
Are downspouts directing water away from the foundation?
Is ice accumulating near walkways or driveways?
Are heat cables needed in problem areas?
At Premier, our winter inspections always include a roofline and gutter check — because owners rarely realize the danger until it becomes a tenant injury claim.
4. How to Prevent Emergency Maintenance Calls This Winter
Emergency calls spike from December to March in Billings. And 80% of them are preventable.
Here’s what you can do to get ahead of the chaos.
A. Provide Tenants With a Winter Survival Guide
Tenants don’t intuitively know:
How to prevent frozen pipes
When to call maintenance
What temperature the thermostat should be kept at
How to handle power outages
What to do if they leave town
A simple winter guide eliminates 80% of “avoidable emergencies” — especially frozen pipes, which can cost thousands.
B. Require Tenants to Notify You If They Leave for More Than 24 Hours
Pipes freeze within hours when heat fails or thermostats are lowered too far. Vacant units = big risk.
Premier enforces heat settings, absence notifications, and routine checks when we know tenants will be gone.
C. Complete a Preventative Maintenance Review
This is where we shine. Our winter Preventative Maintenance Form evaluates:
Furnace function
Plumbing risks
Weather seals
Exterior hazards
Electrical concerns
Known property weak points
Most “emergencies” aren’t emergencies — they’re maintenance items that were never addressed.
Our team stays ahead of this by documenting and tracking all preventative items inside AppFolio and our internal PM systems.
5. What Premier Property Management Does to Protect Your Property in Winter
Not all Billings property management companies operate with a proactive model — but Premier does. We were built by investors, and that means we protect your property like our own.
Here’s what our winter protocol includes:
✔ Seasonal Preventative Inspections
✔ Furnace Filter Tracking & Enforcement
Tenants receive scheduled reminders, and our team verifies changes have occurred. If not, we step in and resolve it.
✔ 24/7 Emergency Maintenance Coordination
Your tenants never get left in the cold — literally or figuratively. And you avoid the stress of midnight phone calls.
✔ Vendor Management
We work with vetted professionals who are:
Licensed
Insured
Fast
Cost-effective
✔ Snow Removal Oversight
Whether handled by tenants, vendors, or HOAs, we ensure compliance so your liability stays low.
✔ Property Performance Protection
Our goal is simple:
Prevent problems, reduce expenses, and extend the life of your asset.
That’s why owners who partner with Premier see fewer emergencies and more predictable financial performance.
6. Why Owners Care: The Money, Risk, and Stress You Save
Every winter issue avoided is profit protected.
Here’s the real cost of ignoring winter checkups in Billings:
Frozen pipes: $3,000–$15,000
Furnace replacement: $4,500–$8,000
Slip-and-fall claim: $20,000+
Roof leak repairs: $1,000–$10,000
Ice dam damage: $500–$8,000
Emergency HVAC call: $350–$850
These numbers are why investors ask us to step in.
Proactive care = higher net income for you.
And the truth?
Most owners don’t have the time, systems, or bandwidth to manage winter maintenance the way it truly needs to be handled — especially with Montana’s unpredictability.
This is where partnering with a property manager near me Billings MT becomes a strategic decision, not a convenience.
The January Advantage: Start 2026 Strong
Property performance in 2026 doesn’t start in the spring — it starts today.
Owners who handle winter correctly enjoy:
Fewer maintenance surprises
Lower liability
Higher tenant satisfaction
Better retention
Stronger cash flow
Higher portfolio value
This is your moment to set the tone for the year.
Ready for a Stress-Free 2026? Let Premier Protect Your Property
If you’re looking at this list and realizing you don’t have time to manage all these winter tasks — that’s exactly why we’re here.
Premier Property Management was built to help owners:
Protect their rentals
Increase cash flow
Reduce emergencies
Avoid lawsuits
Enjoy peace of mind
If you want a property management team that handles the work before it becomes a crisis, reach out below.
Schedule a quick call and let us take winter off your plate.
We’ll walk you through how we protect hundreds of Billings rental properties every year — and how we can do the same for yours.