5^th Nov 2017

After a recent survey carried out by an online letting agency with 4,000 landlords, the company is warning that with the oncoming winter months it is in their own best interests to carry out proper checks of their properties.

According to its survey just half of the 4,000 landlords (52%) were planning to carry out the essential pre-winter checks of their rental properties, had already carried out them over the summer, or were planning to do so during the autumn period.

The online portal says it is always best to act on a damage limitation principle and carry out the quick and easy and quick checks throughout the properties, to ensure that pipes, interiors and exteriors will not fall to rack and ruin because of a hard winter. By doing this, besides keeping the tenants warm and happy, it will give a peace of mind and relatively pressure free time for landlords during the cold months.

James Davis, CEO of the online letting agency, commented: “Whilst it’s encouraging to see a slight majority of private landlords investing the time and money to carry out certain routine maintenance checks, the fact remains that almost half are failing to do so.

“Those who don’t act in plenty of time, run the risk of any issues escalating and, therefore, costing more to rectify. This is not only a drain on the landlord’s finances, but can also lead to unhappy tenants who may choose to look for alternative accommodation if the disruption becomes too much to live with.”

The research found that 73% of landlords who acted on the policy of being safe not sorry, carried out essential maintenance and checks of the boiler; however only 52% of landlords who carried out the checks included making sure that the radiators and pipes would be able to cope during winter.

It also highlighted that landlords need to be more diligent in their approach as only 55% who took part, checked and unblocked the guttering and drainpipes, whilst only 27% checked the roofs of their properties and carried out any repairs when necessary.

He finished by saying: “Ensuring that things like your boiler, heating system, and external pipes are in good order will not just show your tenants you're on the ball as a landlord, it will reduce the likelihood of maintenance calls through the winters months and potentially identify small issues that can be fixed now before they town into bigger, and more urgent and expensive, problem later.”

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