Landlord maintenance checks essential as colder months approach

Keeping on top of maintenance helps encourage long-term tenancies

As summer sunshine becomes a distant memory and nights begin to draw in faster, now is the perfect time for landlords to conduct maintenance checks on their properties. Doing so will help keep tenants in place for longer, ensuring higher capital total returns over the long-term.

The cold winter weather we experience in the UK places additional strain on appliances such as boilers, gas fires and other heating systems, and in fact, 66% of our heating repair works take place during the winter months. To reduce the risk of anything failing or breaking at the worst possible time, leaving tenants with no heating or hot water, landlords need to conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure these and other appliances are working well. In fact, a survey of gas engineers by Gas Safe Register revealed that most gas appliance problems are caused by a lack of annual maintenance. Any gas appliance should be assessed by a Gas Safe registered tradesman.

Under most tenancy agreements, landlords are responsible for the structure of a property, heating and fixtures and fittings and must fulfill these obligations to avoid possible disputes with their tenants. Hot water and heating appliances need to be assessed and landlords must check when these were last serviced. If there are any issues, an engineer should be called out promptly.

During the winter months, it is also crucial that the property is well ventilated to avoid mould and build-up of damp. This means extractor fans need to be checked and tenants should be encouraged to ensure that there is fresh airflow throughout the house, particularly in damp-prone areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.

All white goods, such as washing machines, dishwashers and ovens also need to be reviewed to see if they are in good working order or need to be cleaned.

On top of this all, electric wiring should be assessed to ensure it is both working and is safe, and every five years, a qualified electrician must conduct a thorough check of electrical fittings, which involves producing and signing off the requisite EICR (Electrical Safety) certificate.

Stephen Ludlow, Chairman at ludlowthompson, says: “The start of winter marks an important time for any landlord. To ensure tenants are kept happy and contractual promises are kept, landlords need to be diligent and conduct maintenance checks on their properties as they are likely to be tested more in cold weather.”

“Going above and beyond the normal obligations is a great way to retain existing tenants and to potentially increase returns in the long-term by attracting new tenants. Therefore, landlords should aim to regularly check their properties and when they do so, go beyond the obligations set out in a standard tenancy agreement.”

Our experienced property management team is available to help with any maintenance issues and provides 24/7 emergency support. The team can allocate one of our long-standing, fully-vetted contractors to undertake this work, making the procedure stress-free for you as a landlord. Find out more about our property management service here.

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