November 13, 2024

How Snow Removal Works for Owners

What owners should expect when it snows

Overview

Leases typically designate whether snow removal is included in the property's lease price. As a general rule of thumb, owners will provide snow removal for all multi-unit buildings, and single-family houses are up to the owner’s discretion. Either an owner can hire their vendor and have Baker Street coordinate, or they can use Baker Street's preferred vendor.

We work with an experienced and licensed vendor who offers preferred pricing and priority scheduling. Snowfall in Michigan can vary greatly in severity, and temperature changes often occur rapidly. The quick temperature changes can result in snow melting and then refreezing, requiring the need for additional salt application. We trust our snow removal vendor to use their discretion and judgment when forecasting the need for snow removal and providing the best service to ensure tenant safety. Our priority is the safety of our tenants, efficient service and removal, and competitive pricing.

Process

How Snow Removal Works:

  • Our vendor comes out for snow accumulation of 1-inch (required per City code)
  • Always uses salt to ensure safety
  • For large ongoing snow falls events, multiple visits may be required, each visit is billed at the Per Instance Price.
  • In the case of a larger 24-hour snow storm, they would aim to wait until the bulk of the snow has fallen before going out. However, discretion may be required to ensure the safety of our tenants.
  • Typically, they would not come out to a property more than twice in one day. Each trip to the property is billed at the Total Per Instance Price listed above.

How Billing Works:

  • Each season, Baker Street will share the snow removal pricing with owners. The Per Instance Price includes removing the snow and the application of salt.
  • Standard Snow Removal -- Each trip to the property is billed at the Per Instance Price and deducted from your monthly owner payout.
  • Salt Application Only -- The visit is billed at 50% of the Per Instance Price.
  • Accumulation Every 4+ Inches -- The visit is billed at additional 50% increments of the Per Instance Price. For example, if there were 6-inches of accumulation, the visit would be billed at 1.5x the Per Instance Price.
  • Owners will be billed at the end of the month for any snow removal costs and they will be deducted from the monthly payout.

What We Communicate to Tenants:

At the beginning of the season, Baker Street will provide details on snow removal to tenants who have are provided with the service. Tenants are asked to notify us if an area was missed, or if ice build-up has occurred in any areas on the property that may need extra salt.

Tenant Responsibility

For properties that are not provided with snow removal, tenants are responsible for removing snow from sidewalks and walkways. We remind tenants of this before the snow season and encourage them to purchase a shovel and bucket of salt. Please see below for City of Ann Arbor Code:

"Within 24-hours, any accumulation of snow greater than 1 inch must be cleared from adjacent sidewalks (A), concrete bus stop walks (B) and crosswalk ramps (C). Any ice accumulations must be treated within 18-hours of forming with sand, salt or other substance, to prevent it from becoming slippery. The city is not responsible for clearing mailboxes (D) of snow and/or ice. “

Residents will receive one warning per season before incurring fines. Any fines incurred due to tenants not clearing their sidewalks will be billed back to the tenants.

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