How to prevent emergency property issues as a landlord
As a landlord, it is a legal responsibility as well as a moral obligation to make sure your tenants feel safe in your property.
Additionally, emergency property issues are costing landlords billions every year, according to research from Direct Line.
For both the reasons above, it is important to help prevent the need for emergency callouts and issues – where possible.
The most common issue for landlords to fix is plumbing, closely followed by gas or heating.
Thankfully, on average, plumbers have the best arrival time out of all contractors, with a typical response time of 13 hours from first contact, whilst gas and heating engineers take a little longer to respond at 21 hours.
We’ve provided a few useful tips, which should go a long way to preventing these problems.
1) Clean your pipes often
Hair, grease and other gunk can build up in your drains over time, potentially causing a blockage.
Using a non-corrosive drain cleaner is a great idea to clear the grime in your pipes.
2) Annually service your boiler
Whilst it might sound unnecessary to have your boiler checked every year, a qualified heating engineer will be able to spot minor issues that need fixing before the situation escalates.
3) Insulate your pipes
During winter, it’s important to ensure your pipes don’t freeze, as this could cause them to burst.
Insulation can be cheaply purchased from many DIY stores and is easy to install.
4) Check your fuse box is in date
It is easy to forget about your fuse boxes, however, they contain essential features that prevent electrical faults and fires.
If your fuse box is close to expiring, hire a qualified electrician to ensure the property is safe.
5) Change the smoke alarm batteries
Whilst this isn’t an issue that requires an emergency contractor, it could require the emergency services if left neglected.
Smoke alarms are crucial to alerting people in the property of a potential fire and could be the difference between life and death.
Batteries are cheap to buy and easy to install, making it a simple job to protect your tenants and your property.
For any questions about our services for landlords, get in touch from our website.
This article was originally published by BriefYourMarket and is reproduced here with their permission.
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