LANDLORDS: Do your tenants know what to do in an emergency this winter?
Its cold outside, which means pipes can freeze and burst! What should you be doing to protect your asset and make sure both you and your tenant have an 'event free', enjoyable Christmas?
If you manage your own tenancy, make sure you have communicated the following to your tenants:
1 – Contact your tenant and ask that they make sure the heating and any appliances you are responsible for are working NOW ... the closer we get to Christmas the less likely you will be able to get engineers to attend, especially at their usual fee rates. You want your tenants to report any maintenance issues ASAP so we can take action.
2 -Make sure your tenants know where their stopcock is! It is essential to know where the stop cock in your property is so the water can be turned off in the event of a water leak. This will protect their belongings as well as your asset.
3 - Is your tenant going away? Make sure they know that if they intend to be away from the property for longer than 24 hours then they should keep the central heating on a low or normal setting to maintain a temperature to prevent pipes freezing. Alternatively, they can turn off the water supply, and shut down and drain any central heating boiler and associated pipework.
4 – How to contact you. Are you away over Christmas? Are you contactable? Make sure your tenants know what to do and how to make contact with you should they need to.
For all the properties we manage, every year our tenants get a reminder on how to look after their homes during the winter months and what to do in an emergency. Should you like us to help with your tenancy please do not hesitate to contact the team
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!