Snow removal for apartment complexes: cars, tenants and cleanup days

The parked-car problem

Offices and plazas are empty at 3 a.m.; apartment lots are full. A plow can clear the drive lanes and any open stalls, but it cannot clear under a car, and pushing snow around parked cars leaves ridges that tenants have to dig through.

Drive lanes first, stalls later

The practical sequence at most complexes:

1. During the storm: clear the entrance, drive lanes and fire lanes so cars can move and emergency vehicles can get in.
2. Accessible spaces and the routes from them to building entrances.
3. Walks and steps to every building.
4. Cleanup day: after the storm, tenants move cars to cleared areas in sections, and the stalls are cleared and treated.

Cleanup days and tenant notices

Cleanup days only work if tenants know about them. Send notices at least a day ahead, by text or email, saying which rows will be cleared, when, and where to move cars. Post the same notice at building entrances. A lease clause that requires tenants to move cars for snow removal helps enforcement.

Walks, steps and every door

Tenants walk to cars, mailboxes, dumpsters and laundry buildings in the dark, often early in the morning. Include in the scope:

• Walks and steps to every building entrance
• Mailbox kiosks and the path to them
• Dumpster enclosures and the path to them
• Stairways and landings outside units
• Pet areas, using sand instead of salt where possible. See pet-safe ice melt.

Landlord duties in Michigan

Michigan law, MCL 554.139, requires landlords to keep the premises and all common areas fit for the use intended by the parties. In Allison v AEW Capital Management (2008), the Michigan Supreme Court held that a residential parking lot is a common area covered by that duty, while finding that one to two inches of snow did not make the lot in that case unfit for its use. Walkways, steps and lots are common areas, and how they are maintained matters. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to your attorney about your properties.

Records

Keep timestamped service records for every visit and treatment, plus copies of tenant notices and your own inspections. See snow logs.

Townhomes and condos

Condo associations and townhome communities share many of these issues, with the added question of which areas the association clears and which belong to owners. See snow removal for rentals and HOAs.