Top-tips for landlords… have a plumber on standby

For landlords when it comes to maintaining a property, we all know that it can be hard to keep up; as soon as you’ve finished one job, there is always another.

For Landlords, this can be quite time consuming, especially as there are rules, regulations and laws that need to be adhered to.

As a private Landlord, your responsibilities lie firmly in looking after the major repairs and maintenance of a property. So, having trades-people on hand to help with keeping the property in ship-shape is a must. Though, it should be noted, tenants do have a duty of care too, to keep things in a reasonable state.

We explore some of the reasons why having a plumber/heating engineer on hand, can save you time, money and the stress of sorting out problems…

Emergency…

From burst water pipes and backed up toilets to central heating that doesn’t work, all these form part of an emergency. As Landlords, you need to respond within 24 hours (wherever possible) to either make or organise for repairs.

This is when you really need to have the number of a reliable, reputable plumber available to undertake emergency work, to take the stress and strain of dealing with it, out of your hands.

What’s more, knowing that you can pass your trusted trades-partner details to your tenant, so that they can contact them direct in the event of an emergency. Will help to keep your relationship on a good footing, minimise potential damage, and the inconvenience to your tenant.

Keeping you out of hot water

As part of a your (Landlords) legal duties, the maintenance and servicing of the gas fired central heating system must be undertaken by a gas safe engineer. Using the same plumber/heating engineer means that they know the property and will in all likelihood, know the heating system’s inner workings very well.

The benefit of having your system serviced means that you, and your tenant, know that it’s working efficiently and effectively. A well-maintained heating system will not only last longer (a bonus for you), but will also reduce the cost of heating, a bonus for your tenant.

Clear, clean and contained

Clearing out drains and gutters as well as lagging external pipes all help to keep maintenance costs down, and are all things you, as Landlords, can do quite easily.

However, it’s always good practice to get your plumber to have a quick peek (when at the property) at all pipe work to ensure that there are no visible wear and tear, cracks or leaks.

If there are, they can then organise to repair or replace these before it become a problem.

Installations

If your tenant wishes to add a new washing machine or plumb in a dish washer etc., having your go-to plumber on hand to undertake, this means that you don’t have to worry later on down the line. A poorly fitted appliance/pipe/fitting can lead to leaks.

Even a small leak can lead to big problems.  Even though it would be the responsibility of your tenant, if they fitted it themselves, the hassle of having to sort this out with the tenant can be avoided by using your go-to plumber. A no-brainer for landlords.

Planning ahead

Booking the service of your tenant’s heating system on an annual basis in advance, means that you never have to worry that your Gas Safety Certificate will run out.

You could even book a maintenance plan with your trusted trades-partner. Setting out a schedule of checks and booking in the service, paid for over a set period of time, means that your tenant can be sure that you have their best interest, and the welfare of your property, at heart. Specially developed for landlords.

Trust

As a trusted partner with numerous Letting Agents, builders and commercial property owners we know the challenges Landlords face when looking after their properties.

We provide a reputable, reliable and first-class service each and every time we visit our client’s property, which is why they come back to us year after year.

Check out our blog and video on gas inspection works.

If you’d like to find out more about us you can visit the rest of our website www.bradleyplumbing.co.uk; take a look at some of our videos or just give us a call, after-all it’s good to talk! T. 07917 776549