Preparing for winter

With winter approaching and many people trying to reduce their heating bills, there will be concerns about tenants adequately heating properties to prevent the risk of burst pipes and damage from condensation. With this in mind SAL, members may wish to contact their tenants setting out the steps they should be taking to reduce damage to the property during the winter months. SAL has a template letter for this which can be found here.

For landlords, the approach of winter is a good time to carry out a property inspection. Carry out a visual check on roofs/ceilings for any evidence of leaks, make sure gutters are not choked with leaves, make sure extractor fans are working, and if your boiler has a pressure gauge, make sure it is at the correct level. For a full list of checks to conduct at a property inspection, see SAL’s inspection report template (landlord version) or the inspection report for letting agents can be found here.

While it is a legal requirement to have an annual safety check carried out on gas boilers, it is good practice to ensure the boiler is also regularly serviced. This will reduce the risk of it unexpectedly breaking down during the cold winter months.

Finally, make sure you have building insurance in place to cover winter events like storm and flooding damage. It is best to ensure your policy has cover for the cost of alternative accommodation in case the tenants need to temporarily stay elsewhere because of damage at your property.

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