According to the Clean Air Fund, over 8.43 million deaths annually are attributed to air pollution as the primary, and ultimately avoidable, cause.
Dust, debris, and volatile organic compounds can perniciously affect indoor air quality, negatively impacting your health and potentially causing poor health.
This is your ultimate guide to preserving indoor air quality as a property manager and ensuring your properties are lung-friendly and provide the best possible quality of life for tenants and occupants.
Why Is Air Quality Important?
What does air quality even mean? And why should it be your priority when implementing your property management strategy?
Here are some of the negative consequences caused by poor indoor air quality:
Respiratory complications and inflammation.
Dry skin, allergies, and rash.
Immunosuppression
Oxidative stress
Strong odors
All of these consequences can be avoided by taking the right steps to preserve indoor air quality and provide a healthy, safe environment for your tenants. Otherwise, you may run into legal ramifications for failing to perform your protective duties.
How To Provide Excellent Air Quality For Your Properties
Providing proper air quality only requires a few cautionary steps. Here are the best practices to follow.
Ensuring Proper Ventilation
A ventilation system is the right way to boost air quality in your property. You can invest in both commercial and domestic systems. Domestic systems can be more discreet to preserve the aesthetic and appeal of your properties for renters.
Ventilation provides numerous benefits for your properties. It successfully manages humidity, which can markedly reduce the presence of mold. It also aids in air circulation, which can help improve the efficiency of your air conditioning units.
During the colder months, this air circulation helps to prevent the annoying occurence air stratification (when hot air rises to the top of the room) to ensure consistently cosy temperatures in the property and boost the efficiency of your heating systems.
But, most importantly, investing in a ventilation system will incrementally improve air quality by removing dust and airborne pollutants from the air, transporting them via a duct to the outside. This results in breathable air and lower health risk from pollutants in the building.
Minimizing Pollutants
Smoking, vaping, and carbon monoxide can all present issues with indoor air quality - and it’s hard to encourage your tenants to stop. This is why it’s important to maintain awareness of any pollutants emitted. Installing carbon monoxide detectors isn’t just a precaution, it’s a legal necessity.
However, taking the extra step to invest in vape monitors will ensure that your occupants are adhering to building rules and regulations regarding indoor quality. Your policies only matter when the tenants are willing to comply, right?
When an alarm is triggered, you can issue a warning to the tenant. Should it happen again, you can push for eviction or disciplinary action.
Implementing Regular Cleaning
Dust is one of the leading causes of poor indoor air quality. What’s the best way to manage dust indoors? Cleaning. You should implement a regular cleaning schedule and hire cleaning staff to ensure the facilities are completely dust-free.
And, you’ll provide a more pleasant and inviting atmosphere for building occupants, making tenant retention more likely at the end of the contract.
Screening For Toxic Substances
Toxic substances are highly present in older properties. Whether you’re renovating an old property to rent it out to tenants or simply investing in a preserved period property, you must ensure it complies with modern health and safety regulations.
Asbestos was only banned in building practices during the 1900s, and so many properties have asbestos insulation in attics or wall cavities. Asbestos is a highly toxic substance that can cause cancer and emphysema to those who are exposed to it.
Lead was also historically incorporated into paint, wallpaper, and building design. Lead is another highly toxic substance that can lead to poisoning and death.
To ensure your property is safe and improve air quality, you must ensure there are no toxic substances present. They will likely become airborne and affect tenant health, even if they are in the walls or attic. Consider having a survey performed to check whether any of these substances have been used in the construction of the property before renting it to tenants.
Summary
As a property manager, your responsibility for tenants' safety lies on your shoulders. Tenants deserve a safe place to live with breathable air and without mold or odours. To ensure your buildings are compliant with air quality standards, research ventilation systems and air quality detectors and minimize toxins and pollutants.
By taking all of these steps, you are forging a path for mutual respect and care between you and your tenants, taking your responsibility for their safety seriously.
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