Severe weather at a rental property: a 72-hour landlord checklist

The forecast says 72 hours

A storm watch appears on your phone. You own four rentals: two houses, a duplex, and a condo. One tenant is traveling. One has patio furniture scattered across a deck. The duplex basement took on water three years ago. You cannot remember whether the condo association or the unit owner is responsible for the balcony shutters.

Do not start with plywood.

Start with a list.

Severe-weather preparation for a small landlord is a countdown with four jobs:

1. Protect people.
2. Reduce preventable property damage.
3. Make communication work if power or cell service fails.
4. Create a before-and-after record for repairs and insurance.

This checklist applies to forecast events such as hurricanes, tropical storms, river flooding, windstorms, tornado outbreaks, hail, and extreme rain. The exact hazards differ, so follow local emergency-management instructions and adjust the list to the property. If public officials order an evacuation, the evacuation order outranks your maintenance plan.

72 hours out: establish facts

Forecasts change. Your first pass should identify what is true now and what decision comes next.

For every property in the affected area, confirm:

• Current tenant phone numbers and email addresses
• Who is home, away, or likely to need an alternate contact
• The property's main risks: flood zone, low basement, large trees, overhead power, loose exterior items, sump pump, or known roof weakness
• Water, gas, and electrical shutoff locations
• Insurance carrier, policy number, deductible, and claim contact
• HOA or condo emergency instructions
• Preferred roofer, tree service, plumber, electrician, restoration company, and board-up service
• Who can lawfully access the property if you cannot

Then send one short message:

Severe weather is forecast for our area on [day]. Please follow local safety and evacuation instructions. By [time], reply to confirm that I have your current phone number and tell me about any active leak, loose exterior item, blocked drain, damaged window, or other condition that could worsen in heavy rain or wind. Do not climb onto the roof or perform electrical, tree, or storm-shutter work.

This is not a request for the tenant to inspect the building for you. It is a request for information they can safely observe.

If a tenant does not reply, do not assume they received the message. Try the lease contacts and normal communication channel again. For a 20- to 50-door portfolio, use a simple roster with four statuses: confirmed, away, needs help, no response.

48 hours out: remove the easy losses

The cheapest storm damage is the item that never became airborne and the drain that was not blocked.

Walk the exterior yourself or send a qualified local person. With proper notice where required, check:

• Patio furniture, grills, planters, toys, umbrellas, trash cans, and loose signs
• Dead branches or visibly unstable trees that a tree professional can address safely before conditions deteriorate
• Gutters, downspouts, area drains, window wells, and storm drains
• Fences, gates, sheds, detached structures, and exterior light fixtures
• Roof edges and visible flashing from the ground
• Basement windows and known water-entry points
• Sump-pump operation and backup power, if installed
• Vacant units, common halls, laundry rooms, and mechanical spaces

Bring loose landlord-owned items inside or secure them using an appropriate method. Coordinate with tenants about their belongings rather than throwing them away or entering without authorization.

Do not send a handyman onto a wet roof or ask a tenant to trim a tree near power lines because the calendar says "48 hours." Some preparation becomes more dangerous than the storm risk once wind or rain begins. Set a stop-work time and let qualified vendors decide when conditions are no longer safe.

For flood-prone buildings, move landlord records, paint, tools, spare flooring, and equipment off basement floors. Raise only equipment designed and safe to be moved. Never improvise around fuel, electrical panels, furnaces, or water heaters.

36 hours out: photograph the baseline

Take date-stamped photos or video before conditions arrive. A useful property set includes:

• Every side of the building
• Roofline as visible from the ground
• Windows, doors, fences, gutters, and downspouts
• Trees and large limbs near the structure
• Basement and known leak areas
• Mechanical equipment
• Common areas and vacant units
• Any existing crack, stain, missing shingle, damaged screen, or fence lean

Narrate a slow video if that is faster: "July 18, west wall, existing stain below the second-floor window; surface is dry." The goal is not cinematic quality. It is separating old condition from new damage.

Upload the files somewhere available if your phone is lost or offline. Keep a copy of the current lease, property insurance declarations, vendor contacts, and tenant roster there too. Do not store sensitive tenant documents in a broadly shared storm folder.

Review your policy while there is still time to ask questions. Wind, flood, sewer backup, fallen trees, loss of rent, debris removal, and emergency mitigation may be treated differently. A standard property policy often does not cover every kind of water event. Confirm coverage with your insurer; do not discover the distinction while standing in a wet basement.

24 hours out: give tenants one final briefing

Send a property-specific update instead of forwarding a ten-page weather graphic.

Include:

• The expected weather window
• Official emergency-information and evacuation sources
• How to report property damage
• Your backup contact if you may be unreachable
• Which outdoor items have been secured
• Any parking, gate, elevator, garage, or common-area changes
• What tenants should not touch
• When you expect to send the next update

For example:

Heavy wind and rain are expected from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. Follow city alerts and any evacuation order. The patio furniture and trash bins have been secured, and the basement sump pump was tested today. Report active water, broken glass, a gas odor, sparking, or loss of building security to [number]. Call 911 or the utility first for immediate danger. Do not enter standing water, approach downed wires, use a generator indoors, or attempt roof repairs. I will update everyone by noon Wednesday unless officials advise otherwise.

Do not promise that the property is "storm-proof." Do not tell tenants they must remain in the unit to monitor it. Their job is to follow safety instructions, not protect your asset.

If the lease assigns routine preparation—such as bringing in tenant-owned balcony furniture—remind the tenant in writing. The landlord should still verify high-consequence building items such as shutters, drainage, vacant spaces, and common areas.

Six hours out: stop preparing and switch to response

At some point, the safe preparation window closes.

Confirm that:

• Vendors and staff are no longer traveling into unsafe conditions
• Tenants know where official alerts come from
• Your phone, backup battery, and laptop are charged
• Calls or maintenance messages will reach a backup if you lose service
• Each property has an incident log ready
• Nobody is expected to inspect during the event

If a tenant reports an issue during the storm, sort it by life safety first.

Fire, gas odor, downed wires, structural movement, or immediate danger belongs with emergency services or the utility. Active water may require a safe fixture shutoff, but nobody should enter floodwater or touch electrical equipment to reach one. A roof leak may need a bucket and relocation away from the room until professionals can respond; it does not need a tenant on a ladder in high wind.

Give a precise next update even when no vendor can safely dispatch:

I have logged the ceiling leak above the back bedroom. Please stay out of that room, move belongings only if you can do so safely, and do not enter the attic. I have sent the photos to the roofer. Crews cannot travel during the warning, so I will update you by 8 a.m. or sooner if safe response becomes available.

Silence makes a delayed response feel like no response.

After the all-clear: inspect in the right order

The rain stopping is not an all-clear. Wait for local officials and qualified vendors to say travel and access are safe.

Inspect in this order:

1. People: Confirm tenant status and urgent needs.
2. Immediate hazards: Gas odor, live wires, unstable trees, structural movement, contaminated water, fire, or unsecured entry.
3. Active damage: Roof openings, broken windows, water entry, sewage, and exposed interiors.
4. Essential services: Power, water, heat or cooling where weather makes it critical, sanitation, elevators, and fire-safety systems.
5. Secondary damage: Wet drywall, flooring, insulation, cabinets, fencing, and exterior finishes.

Use qualified professionals for electrical, gas, structural, tree, roof, and contaminated-water hazards. Photograph damage before temporary work when safe, but do not delay reasonable emergency mitigation merely to build a perfect claim file. Save damaged materials when the insurer requests it, and ask vendors to distinguish emergency stabilization from permanent repair on their invoices.

Create one log per property:

• Time and source of each report
• Photos and video before and after the event
• Safety instructions sent
• Who entered and when
• Vendor findings
• Temporary work approved
• Costs, receipts, and invoices
• Insurance claim number and adjuster contact
• Tenant updates
• Permanent repairs still open

Contact the insurer promptly when damage may be covered, and follow its instructions. Avoid guessing about reimbursement, rent credits, damaged tenant belongings, or hotel costs before checking the lease, policy, and local requirements. Tenants generally need renters insurance for their personal property, but the facts and applicable rules still matter.

One week later: write the lesson into the property

Storm recovery is not finished when the last branch reaches the curb.

Ask:

• Which tenant contact was wrong?
• Which drain, window, roof area, or tree caused trouble?
• Which vendor answered?
• Which vendor did not?
• Did the sump pump and backup work?
• Were keys and gate codes accessible?
• Did the insurance file have what the adjuster requested?
• Which task was attempted too late to be safe?

Turn each answer into a property note or scheduled repair. Replace the improvised sandbag plan with a flood barrier designed for the opening. Correct the downspout that emptied beside the foundation. Add a second tree-service contact. Put the next roof inspection on the calendar.

For one rental, this can fit on a sheet of paper. For 50 doors, keep the same countdown but assign one owner to each property, one status to each task, and one place for incident updates.

The storm plan is not "be available and hope." It is a clock: establish facts, remove easy losses, save the baseline, brief tenants, stop work before it becomes unsafe, and inspect only after the all-clear.

You might also like:

• How to cover rental emergencies when you are unavailable
• Should you file a landlord insurance claim or pay out of pocket?
• Tenant reports a water leak: a first-24-hours checklist for small landlords
• Annual rental inspection checklist for small landlords

Keep the plan with the property

A storm response works better when contacts, condition photos, insurance documents, maintenance history, and open repairs are attached to the correct rental. See how ManorKeeper helps self-managing landlords organize property operations.