As a property owner, you know you can make a decent profit on your real estate investment. However, as a landlord you are also responsible for ensuring everything is in good working order, including the plumbing. Before leasing your building or a home to tenants, it’s your responsibility to make sure the hot water heater, the sewer lines, sinks, toilets, and any other types of plumbing are up to code. It’s also your responsibility to maintain the lines, and repair any future problems.
There are five plumbing tasks best left to the professionals:
Service the hot water heater:
The sediment that naturally presents in drinking water – including iron and calcium – ends up in your water heater’s tank, and over time, builds up. The buildup will break off and comes loose in the tank, and then finds its way into your hot water supply.
Not only does sediment riddled water cause the water supply to be dirty, but the debris can also affect the tanks longevity. Before leasing your building or home, it’s important that you have one of our trained professionals drain and fill the tank. After which, this should be done once a year to preserve the quality of the drinking water and ensures a better functioning water heater.
Service the pipes:
Corrosion in the pipes is normal and builds up over time and is typically unnoticed by previous tenants. Corroded pipes, however, can leak and crack and create major repair problems. We will come in and inspect the existing pipes for any leaks or cracks and recommend repairs or replacements that are necessary. You may also have mis-matched pipe fittings, and those should be replaced as well.
Service the drains:
Even when drains are running properly, it’s important to have them serviced and cleaned prior to a new tenant moving in. Food, debris, hair, and small objects will clog drains.Don’t use harsh chemicals that you buy at a home improvement store because these types of products can damage pipes and lead to future clogging issues.
We will inspect and clear the drains for you, that way the tub and sinks are ready for your new tenant to use. We recommend you have the drains serviced every few years to keep them flowing properly.
Service the fixtures:
Service plumbing fixtures, including shower heads, drain plugs, toilets, sink handles, and other plumbing-related fixtures. A dripping faucet, leaks under a sink, and a toilet that runs excessively are all your responsibility as a landlord.
As the saying goes, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’can also be applied in plumbing. Fixing minor repairs today reduces the likelihood of a major repair down the road. Your tenant will have confidence in you as a reputable landlord if you address small issues in a timely fashion. Part of serving fixtures means replacing out dated plumbing appliances. For example, if the toilet continues to clog, or is older, then it’s time to replace it. Shower heads, sink fixtures, etc., can easily be changed, and also lends towards better water and heating efficiency.
Septic tank:
In our area, there are still many properties that have a septic system, and in the outlying areas, new construction is utilizing septic systems. If yours is one of them, it’s imperative that you have it inspected and drained periodically to avoid overflow in the drainfield. If you aren’t sure if you have a septic system or another alternate sewer system, we can easily and quickly inspect your property to determine what is there.
You want your future tenants to be comfortable and hiring us to professionally tend these five plumbing tasks will go a long way to keeping them as good tenants. Give us a call prior to signing a new lease, and we will have any repairs done before they move in.
I’m glad that you mentioned that if you don’t pump out the tank that it will overflow into the drain field. I would imagine that it would smell really bad and could be unsanitary. I’ll have to make sure to get mine pumped so that doesn’t happen.