Landlords across the UK should be prepared for spending more pounds on maintenance and repairs in the coming months as meteorologists are forecasting a pretty chilly winter season.
Landlords are advised to let their tenants know in advance of required safety measures to prevent any unforeseen expenses in maintenance and service. Of all the risks associated with damages related to winter, the biggest is the freezing of pipes, in case the temperature dips below the freezing point regularly.
I have actually suffered from this problem myself! A tenant went away on holiday and came back and the house was flooded because a pipe had frozen whilst she had been away. The frozen pipe had forced one of the pipe connectors to give way and this resulted in the house getting flooded. It was a ‘movie type scenario’ where she opened the front door and water gushed out!
You should make sure that your tenants understand that water to outdoor hoses needs to be shut during this chilling period. A small precaution can go a long way in saving you extensive and costly repairs to your investment property.
Then there is the internal heating system which demands lots of maintenance and timely service. As a landlord you are expected to give your tenants basic information on addressing minor problems with their indoor heating system.
A common example of this is a situation arising in older homes having radiators. At times tenants assume that these radiators have corroded if they feel cold or if the radiators are nor letting out enough heat. Chances are that at these moments you would find one end of the radiator to be warm and the other entirely cold.
There is no need to call expensive repairman for this. Simply let out the oxygen trapped in the radiator and you are good!
Also, if they are leaving the house then ask them to make sure that the central heating system comes on every day for about 30 minutes to an hour. This will prevent any pipes from freezing.
You would be wise to share these simple tricks with your tenants and save on costs.
