Landlords and property managers are being urged to tackle maintenance issues now rather than risk minor problems becoming costly emergencies when colder weather arrives.
Property management specialist Rushbrook says September provides an important opportunity to inspect rental properties before heavier rainfall, falling temperatures and increased demand for contractors.
The warning is particularly relevant to landlords and managers responsible for multiple properties, where a cold snap or period of severe weather can trigger maintenance problems across an entire portfolio simultaneously.
Rushbrook has identified ten areas landlords and property managers should check as part of their preparations for autumn and winter.
TEN WINTER CHECKS
The firm recommends:
- Clearing gutters and drainage: Remove leaves and debris and check downpipes and drains.
- Servicing boilers: Test heating systems before tenants begin relying on them.
- Checking for damp: Inspect bathrooms, kitchens and external walls and ensure ventilation is working.
- Inspecting roofs: Identify slipped tiles, damaged flashing, cracks and deteriorating render.
- Checking windows and doors: Look for damaged seals, draughts and poorly closing windows.
- Preparing outside areas: Secure fencing, gates and sheds and inspect trees and external lighting.
- Testing alarms: Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries or devices where necessary.
- Protecting pipework: Identify exposed or poorly insulated pipes vulnerable to freezing.
- Planning for empty properties: Establish heating, inspection, leak and emergency procedures for vacant homes.
- Preparing contractors: Review contractor availability, emergency procedures and tenant contact details.
- ‘DON’T WAIT’
Roma Sharma (main picture, inset), Managing Director of Rushbrook, says: “The biggest mistake landlords and property managers can make with winter maintenance is waiting for winter to arrive. Once temperatures fall and the weather deteriorates, relatively minor weaknesses within a property have the potential to become much bigger and more disruptive problems.
“September provides a valuable window in which to identify those issues while they are still manageable. It’s far better to discover that a boiler needs attention now than when a tenant switches the heating on during the first cold spell, just as engineers are entering one of their busiest periods.”
Sharma adds that preventative maintenance becomes particularly important across larger portfolios because seasonal problems rarely occur conveniently one property at a time.
She says: “Good property management isn’t simply about responding quickly when something goes wrong. A large part of the job is anticipating where problems are likely to occur and putting measures in place to prevent them wherever possible.”
