IS YOUR TENANTED PROPERTY WINTER READY?

Winter can often be a time of unbudgeted expense and inconvenience for Landlords if they have not carried out routine maintenance, which can lead to costly repairs and disgruntled tenants.
Here are 5 top tips to make sure your property is winter ready.

1. Heating- Make sure that your boiler is serviced by a Gas Safe Registered engineer annually and check that your tenants have a clause in their tenancy agreement, which requires them to adequately heat the property during the winter, to prevent frozen or burst pipes. Ideally if they are going on holiday the temperature should not go below 13 degrees Celsius whilst they are away. Also check that your boiler condensate pipe is insulated and free flowing.
2. Gutters and Roof- Check and clear all debris or grass growth from gutters and check the roof for slipped slates as both these can cause leaks.
3. Windows- Ensure that tenants are keeping all rooms well ventilated with no vents covered up, to prevent a build up of condensation.
4. Emergencies- Contact all tenants before the Christmas period to check that they have no existing problems that may get worse over Christmas and provide an emergency contact and confirm who has spare sets of keys.
5. Insurance- Check your policy terms regarding empty periods when tenants may be away and ensure that the policy covers carpets and white goods, in case of flooding.

If you don’t have time to manage all of this yourself then consider purchasing your next investment property from us. Fitzwilliam Capital Partners provide the first years free Property Management with all properties that we sell. We also source your tenant, contribute towards your legal fees and include the first years rental assurance, free with every purchase.
Our wealth of added extra services ensure that our investors have a completely hands off investment, giving them more time to spend on the important things in their life. If this is something that you are looking for, get in touch at hello@fitzwilliam-cp.com or call 0161 641 3100. For more information on what we do, visit  www.fitzwilliam-cp.com