Tis the Season: Should You Let Your Pasadena Renters Hang Christmas Lights?

Sprucing up the house with Christmas decorations is a time-honored tradition for renters and homeowners alike. Many tenants want to adorn their eaves and windows with strings of lights, adding a cheerful twinkle to long winter nights. However, adorning a house with Christmas lights is not nearly as simple as putting up other kinds of holiday decoration; it’s much riskier as well. Since everyone has different ideas of what is considered a tasteful holiday display, you can never be quite sure what the end result will be. There is more than one reason why Pasadena property owners and landlords should hesitate to let their renters hang Christmas lights on their own.

Consider the Risks

There are more than 1,000 serious injuries because of renters hanging Christmas decorations each year, remarks the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. These injuries may send people to the emergency room. Accidents like falls, electrical shocks, cuts, and abrasions, especially if serious, are merely a few of the many risks of hanging lights.

Another liability risk involves ornaments that violate the rules of Common Interest Communities (commonly known as Homeowner Associations) and other local governances. A CIC, in particular, may have strict rules that indicate the type, quantity, and duration of Christmas decorations. Only the kinds listed in the CIC may be used, and you cannot go beyond the stipulated limit of the number of decorations. You also cannot put them up too early or leave them on too long as many CICs also regulate how long decorations can be displayed. If your tenant violates CIC regulations, you may find yourself on the hook for fines, disciplinary action, or other unwanted consequences.

Keeping your property in compliance may mean that you need to tell your renters that they should avoid hanging their own Christmas lights. While no one wants to kill the Christmas spirit by being a holiday grinch, there is a great liability when tenants do their own Christmas decorating. This is not something property owners can afford to leave to chance. Therefore, it is significantly important to talk about and give a quick rundown of sensible holiday decorating guidelines with your tenants.

In Conclusion

No matter the season, it’s important to oversee your properties carefully, a service that is a necessary function of the Real Property Management East San Gabriel Valley move towards property management. Our expert property managers are aware of the value of completing regular property evaluations and taking care of your tenant’s safety in adherence to their lease. If you have any questions, please contact us online or call us at 626-600-2884 today.