Why is planned maintenance so important?
Using a pro active Glasgow Letting Agent that takes planned maintenance seriously will reduce expensive and unexpected expenses. It will also ensure that your rental property is maintained to the highest of standards.
It is amazing the amount of times we find poorly maintained rental properties that have experienced small issues manifest into much larger ones. Whilst planned maintenance works will have a cost associated with them, these costs should be built into your planned operating expenses.
Reactive maintenance is unexpected by nature and is always going to be an unknown risk. However, a regular and planned maintenance schedule can make a massive difference towards reducing the ongoing running costs of your rental property. We have listed some examples of planned maintenance below.
Boiler service
Contrary to common belief, a boiler service is a different thing entirely to a Gas Safety Certificate (GSC). Where a GSC checks that the boiler is running within the parameters set by the Gas Safe Register and HSE, it can pass a GSC whilst not running at its best or most efficient. As long as all of the required readings are within the limits, the appliance will pass a GSC.
A boiler service is more intrusive and whilst different engineers have varied opinions of what should be done, it generally involves checking expansion vessels, cleaning heat exchangers and adjusting gas valves if needed. If the boiler has an external magnetic filter such as a Magna-clean, this should be flushed out too.
A comprehensive boiler service should help towards reducing unexpected boiler breakdowns such as a blocked condensate trap. This is a simple fix but would require a separate call out during the year.
Annual gutter clearing
Gutters clog with leaves and roof debris which can prevent water from draining into the down pipes. This can make gutters to overflow causing potential water ingress into property, damaging the fabric of the building.
If the property has a factor in place then this should be included as part of their maintenance programme. We carry this out on our non-factored non tenement properties at the end of the winter season after all leaves have fallen from the trees. Any moss should also be cleared from the roof.
The photo to the above is from a property we took over the management of recently. The down pipe was completely clogged with years worth of debris, causing the gutters to back up. The photo below is what was removed from the down pipe. The roof was also cleared of moss. The knock on effect of this blockage was rotten fascia boards and door frame below.
Potential issues prevented:
- Rotten sarking boards and rafter ends
- Gutters breaking from weight of wet debris
- Water ingress to wall head eventually seeping internally
Replacing defective silicon/grout
Shower and bath silicon should be visually checked at the property inspections and any defective silicon replaced as soon as possible. This is another simple maintenance issue that can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage below the shower or bath, and to any properties below you.
Rubber shower screen seals commonly don’t fit correctly, are too short or are worn out. All of these issues can lead to water spilling over the edge of the bath when showering. Depending on the severity of the leak, damage can range from swollen wooden flooring, floor tiles coming loose/cracking and damage to the wall adjacent to the bath. This issue also commonly affects the property below.
There are many other examples, but it is clear to see that being observant and scheduling planned maintenance on the right things can save thousands of pounds of repairs that could have been easily avoided.
