Responsibility for snow removal

In Massachusetts, landlords have the primary responsibility for snow removal at their rental properties. The sole exception occurs when a residence has a unique exit not used by other units, such as in single-family homes. In these cases, landlords can specify in the lease agreement that tenants are responsible for snow and ice removal on walkways, entrances, and sidewalks. For the benefit of landlords, we have clearly outlined that tenants should handle snow and ice removal in these areas within the lease agreement.

However, this exception does not extend to driveways or parking spaces. If tenants request snow removal for driveways, landlords remain liable for ensuring this work is completed.

 

Responsibility for snow removal in multifamily properties

In Massachusetts, landlords are generally responsible for snow and ice removal for multifamily properties, as entrances are typically shared by multiple units. We highly recommend that landlords purchase a snow removal service for the entire season. ConnectAll Property Management will coordinate the services if necessary.

 

Will ConnectAll PM coordinate the snow removal and billing?

The cost of snow removal varies significantly between vendors and can be influenced by several factors:

  • Scope of Service: Basic snow removal may include just plowing, while additional services like salting, shoveling, and clearing walkways or steps will increase the cost.
  • Service Area: The size of the area needing snow removal, including driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, and pathways, impacts the overall price.
  • Snowfall Amount: The volume of snow that needs to be removed can affect the cost. Heavy snowfall requires more time and effort to clear.

We highly recommend that landlords negotiate directly with snow removal vendors for a full-season package in advance and handle payments themselves. This guarantees a slot for your property when snowstorms occur. If a full-season package is not available or practical, we suggest landlords contact several local vendors for one-time service quotes and register their property on the vendors’ customer lists. Snow removal vendors usually service a limited area, and it’s often too late to find an available vendor during a snowstorm, leading to higher costs than a pre-determined quote.

To save costs for landlords, ConnectAll PM coordinates snow removal based on requests from either tenants or landlords. Due to safety concerns and Massachusetts snow removal regulations, if a request comes from tenants, we will immediately hire a snow removal service. If the landlord has preferred vendors (contacted at the beginning of the season), we will reach out to those vendors. If not, we will hire any available vendor without prior approval from the landlord.

ConnectAll PM will pay the vendor first and then deduct the cost from the next month’s rent. Since vendors are usually self-employed individuals or small local businesses, they often do not provide invoices, or there may be delays. In such cases, we will not provide vendor service invoices.