Month: December 2016

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Winter is a busy time of the year for everyone. From trying to get work done before you shut down for Christmas to just managing to find the perfect gifts and festive treats for yourself and your family, it can be something of a hectic period for everyone; not least letting agents.

Agents can often find that winter is the busiest period of the year, largely because it can be when tenants will experience the most problems with the property they live in. Winter weather can exacerbate problems in the house, and tenants are more likely to call up to have someone pop round and rectify them.

Many of the problems that will arise at this time of the year will be quick fixes, or even things you can deal with in advance, but as an agent it’s important to just know what’s likely to go wrong. After all, at a hectic time of the year like the festive, it can be great to just have an idea of what to expect. Here, we take a look at the five most common problems that tenants might face in the colder weather.

Draughts

Something that can go the whole year without being spotted, draughts are particularly problematic in the winter months thanks to the wind chill factor, and the fact that tenants will see their heating bills creep up, so it can be a good idea in advance to put insulating strips around the windows and doors before the cold weather really kicks in to alleviate this issue.

Boiler breakdowns

Boilers never seem to break down throughout the year, but when winter comes and people need them most, they always seem to decide that it’s time for a little TLC and a repair. This can be infuriating and frustrating for tenants, but as a letting agent, you can help by having someone qualified on call to help them get their heating back in working order as soon as possible.

Frozen pipes

The biggest issue with frozen pipes is that they have the real potential to lead to much larger problems when they thaw, exposing cracks caused by the ice and leaving homes flooded. The best course of action is to advise tenants how having the heating on regularly can help to avoid this issue in advance. With this issue, it’s definitely better to be proactive rather than reactive!

Roof problems

Another problem that is exacerbated by winter weather, heavy winds and stormy rain can cause issues with loose roof tiles and expose weaknesses in their makeup. This can, of course, lead to leaky roofs and tenants facing a miserable winter. When leaks occur, it’s absolutely vital to get them patched as soon as possible.

Trees

Most of us would probably not even look at a tree as being a potential problem, but they really can be if they’re not kept under control. In winter, it’s not unknown for high winds and rain to contribute to trees falling and colliding with homes, causing a lot of damage. It’s for this reason that it’s always a good idea around winter to just trim trees back a little and make sure they are in good condition for withstanding some of the worst weather.