Tenant Tips for Winter

Top Tips

Now that winter is truly with us, nature presents us with some challenges; follow our helpful tips to ensure you’re prepared, you’re fulfilling your obligations as a tenant, and you’re living comfortably.

•  Make sure you know the location of the stopcock so that you can turn the water supply off in the event of an emergency such as a burst pipe. If you can’t find it, please contact us for guidance.
• Make sure you know how the boiler and thermostat/programmer work if you have gas central heating, or how your convector or storage heaters work if you have electric heating. We have a good knowledge of all configurations, so please get in touch if you have any questions. Leave the heating on low if you are going away over the festive period or set a timer so that the heating continues to come on regularly. This will help reduce the likelihood of condensation and burst pipes.
• Make sure you maintain an even temperature throughout the property, allowing heat to circulate by keeping internal doors open, while using extractor fans and trickle vents to allow regulation of relative humidity, particularly in older properties which require a good initial boost of heat to get the wall temperature above dew point. Consider investing in a hygrometer; they’re inexpensive and readily available from online retailers. Ideal indoor humidity is between 30-50% and can generally be controlled by a combination of heat and ventilation. Remember; everyday activities such as cooking, showering, drying clothes – even breathing – all increase humidity and this needs to be considered. If humidity is too high, it encourages fungal and bacterial growth (mould is a common problem), particularly if it’s cold. Ensure you clean your washing machine regularly, using Calgon or similar, paying particular attention to removal and cleaning of the detergent drawer; these are perfect breeding grounds for mould spores, which are then released into the air as your clothes dry. Conversely, if relative humidity is too low, due to the heating being on with no ventilation, it will dry out your upper respiratory tract, leaving you more susceptible to infection – a point particularly worth bearing in mind in the context of current events.
• Report any leaks immediately, however small – small problems can quickly escalate into big and expensive problems, and you may be liable for costs if you fail to report a problem promptly.
• Use lighting timers during the dark winter days, particularly if you are going to be absent from the property for longer periods. These are a good way of deterring burglars when the property is vacant. In case the worst does happen, please ensure you have adequate insurance cover for your belongings and potential liabilities as a tenant. We would recommend reading your agreement carefully and getting in touch if anything requires clarification.

Reporting Maintenance Issues

If you have any maintenance issues, please use our online tool to report them. In the event of an emergency during the holiday period – or outside office hours – please follow the guidance below. Please note that if the issue turns out to have been caused by your actions or is not deemed to be an emergency, you may be liable for costs.

Out of Hours Emergency

An emergency repair would include issues that need to be fixed as soon as possible. Examples would include: burst pipe/flood, fire, vandalism, broken locks, blocked drains, blocked toilet and no heating/hot water.   Anything that would be a danger to your health and safety or likely to cause damage to the property.

In the event that you require a locksmith, please search for an available emergency locksmith and we will reimburse costs as necessary upon production of a receipt. In the unlikely event that the property becomes uninhabitable (for example, due to flood or fire damage), please arrange alternative accommodation, and we will assist with recovering costs at the earliest opportunity. For any other emergency issues, please call 01633 742371.