Looking after the property
Every property needs a certain amount of care and preventive maintenance while you’re living in it. For the tenant this will help protect your deposit – you need to hand the house back in the same condition when you moved in.
For an owner, proper care and maintenance will ensure growth of value.
Your garden
With some basic care and attention, you can keep your garden lush and growing. For more advanced care, it’s best to get professional guidance from your local nursery or horticulturist.
Watering
In Winter, you generally don’t need to water.
When it’s hot or dry though, we recommend watering in the evening
Fertiliser
You should first check the needs of each plant type, and fertilise according to the guidelines. For example soils with high acid content, or clay, need specific care..
Electrical
Some basic electrical repairs and maintenance can be carried out without calling out an electrician. However in all cases please ensure Safety First! Call a professional if you are in a y doubt.
Changing a light bulb
If a globe needs replacing, carefully remove the faulty globe, ensuring the light switch is in the OFF position.
Check the type and and power of the globe, and replace it with a globe of the identical type.
Tripping circuit breakers
If a circuit breaker should trip, it’s important to establish the reason. Before switching it back on again try establish the reason for the trip.
Check that a plug point is not overloaded, or that the connected appliance is not faulty.
If a breaker continues to trip there could be a dangerous fault – call an electrician immediately.
Plumbing and Water
Please attend to any water leaks urgently, as even a small drip can suddenly become a disaster, and cause very costly damage.
Exterior pipe leak
Firstly check whether it’s just a matter of a loose connection. If you’re handy with a spanner, try tightening any loose connections, being cautious not to over-tighten as you will be held responsible for any damage.
Washing machine pipe leak
As a tenant you are responsible for the fitting of appliances, and please note that any damage caused by your appliance leaking will be for your account.
However, if consulting your owner’s manual hasn’t helped, there are a few things you can try.
- Turn off the main water supply and try the following options:
- Tighten the inlet and outlet connections.
- Replace the inlet and outlet pipes.
- Check whether it’s an internal leak.
