Plumbing maintenance is a legal responsibility for rental property owners to keep their property in a good working condition for their tenants. While your tenants do have a significant role to play as well, ultimately it falls to you to look after and fix issues with things like plumbing.

Why should I keep on top of plumbing maintenance?

For one thing, carrying out proper plumbing maintenance helps to ensure that a rental home’s utilities always run as they should. This will help to prevent tenants from calling you up with regular grievances and save you money on repairs, too.

It’s also important to note that issues with plumbing can cause damage to a property, which could make it unsafe. As a landlord, you are responsible for ensuring that any property you rent out is in line with national health and safety laws.

How do I keep on top of plumbing maintenance?

Staying on top of plumbing maintenance means checking regularly to make sure everything works as it should. If you don’t want water bills to run high or damp to affect the walls of your property, then there are several essential jobs you will need to do. These include:

• Testing the water pressure
• Clearing slow drains
• Checking for sink and garbage disposal leaks
• Inspecting visible pipes
• Examining toilet tanks

It’s also important to have the right plumbing products to complete high-quality maintenance checks. Do this before your tenants move into the property to avoid any major problems during their lease, such as burst pipes and flooding.

Is the landlord responsible for all plumbing maintenance?

While it is important to do routine checks, you the landlord won’t be responsible for all plumbing maintenance in your rental property. In fact, any issues that occur as a result of a tenant’s own actions do not need to be sorted by you. This might include a toilet that has been blocked with non-flushable items or hair that has built up in a drain.

Any other issues that you think your tenant should be responsible for will have to be set out in the tenancy agreement. If they’re not, then fixing them will fall to you.

When that happens, tenants should inform the landlord of the problems as soon as they arise. The sooner the problem is reported, the sooner it can be acted upon. And, when it comes to plumbing issues, acting fast is important. 

How to maintain plumbing in a rental property?

Maintaining the plumbing of a property isn’t a one-time thing. As mentioned above, you are advised to carry out maintenance checks before the start of any new lease, so as to ensure that everything is in good condition prior to the tenancy.

However, if your plumbing is known to be problematic for whatever reason, you might want to think about doing regular plumbing maintenance during a tenancy, too. Whether you’ve found that pipes tend to get blocked with leaves after autumn or your sprinkler systems malfunction during the summer, it’s always a good idea to pre-empt any issues and schedule additional maintenance time.  

If you come across issues that need to be fixed, it is advised that you contact a plumber, unless you have adequate plumbing know-how and experience. After all, you want any repairs to last as long as possible, which a trained plumber will know how to do.  

How to avoid plumbing issues in your rental property?

To avoid major plumbing issues in your rental property and save yourself time, it’s important that you carry out your duty as a landlord by ensuring maintenance checks are done thoroughly and regularly. However, it’s not all down to you.

Once the tenant moves into the property, they take on shared responsibility for maintaining the home and its utilities. So, if you want to be sure that your tenants hold up their end of the bargain, you can outline their responsibilities in the tenancy agreement. Let them know that you expect them to deal with any damages that they cause, and advise them to clear drains and filters regularly.

Other things you can do to properly maintain a rental property’s plumbing include investing in high-quality plumbing products and insurance. If you need a hand with plumbing for your rental property, then get in touch with Tap This Plumbing today!