Last Updated on April 17, 2024 by Saira Farman
One of the numerous duties of the landlord is to prevent clogged pipes. Since the landlord is responsible for keeping the property habitable, fixing any drain issues may be necessary. Your drains may eventually become clogged if you neglect regular maintenance for extended periods of time.
However, you can avoid this by keeping your drains clean and in good condition. The crucial word here is prevention. As the proprietor of Coastal Drains, I have witnessed just about anything that you can think of go down the drain, and in some instances, a blocked drain may be very expensive for the property owner. Please contact us for blocked drains North Shore.
Therefore, I’ve given you some advice on how to keep your pipes and drains from getting damaged or clogged in an effort to potentially save you some money. To make sure your tenants are aware of what they should be doing to avoid blockages, it would be a good idea to print off a copy of these suggestions and give them to them.
Clean up the pop-up stopper.
Pop-up stoppers, which are common in modern bathrooms, might contribute to sink clogs if you have them in your bathroom basin. Pop-ups are excellent in gathering a buildup of toothpaste, soap scum, and hair. These accumulations may cause drain clogs and delayed drainage. As a preventative measure, make sure you frequently remove the drain stopper to give it a thorough cleaning.
Watch what you flush down the toilet.
You as a landlord have some limited influence over what your tenants flush down the toilet. Using a drain guard and so confining it is one of the finest ways to lessen the quantity of debris that your tenants may potentially wash down the drain. Drain guards allow water to pass through while collecting all trash, including packaging, food products, hair, and other items that are too large to pass through the filter. The gathered trash can then be thrown away in the trash container.
Remember to go outside.
It is simple to believe that your drainage system is operating adequately from the outside. People frequently believe that drains only need to be cleaned on the outside. However, the gutters outside your home may also be clogged with trash and obstructions like moss, leaves, and mould. It’s crucial to periodically inspect your gutters and, if necessary, get them cleaned out. To keep them in top shape, you may also give them a nice scrub every few months.
Monthly Pipe Treatment
You might want to suggest that the drains be treated with a basic drain cleaner at least once a month to dissolve grease and keep the drains flowing as an optional clause in your lease. Make it clear that this drain treatment’s goal is to prevent clogs, not to eliminate them. A very efficient technique to guarantee that the health of your drains is maintained is to treat them with the right drain cleaner once a month.
Tenant empowerment
Because they want their pipes to continue functioning properly, the majority of tenants will voluntarily conduct simple plumbing maintenance. But you can also specify the terms in the lease. Especially if the pipes are old and this could lead to corrosion, make it very clear that you don’t want them to pour strong chemicals down the drain. It’s best practise to outline a lease’s maintenance obligations for plumbing systems because it makes life easier for landlords and gives tenants more control over tiny issues.
Make an Expert Call
Despite your best efforts, clogs may still happen no matter how explicit you are with your tenants about what is required of them. It is advisable to leave major issues requiring pipe disassembly to the experts because attempting a DIY project could make things worse. Many landlords will have a relationship with a nearby plumber or a dedicated maintenance professional. In either case, it is smart to make sure you have a contact for a specialist who can solve the issue.
The renter should be accountable for what goes down the drains, but if you don’t have a lease provision covering any plumbing blockages, it will be your duty to keep the apartment maintained. This can entail repairing clogged pipes, stopped-up toilets, and frozen garbage disposals. Your obligation to correct and pay for problems brought on by your tenant will be significantly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, by a properly drafted clause Read more
