Water Damage and Your Rental Property: What Do Your Renters Need to Know?

                                                                                         

When you occupy your own home, it’s much easier to take prompt action during plumbing mishaps than when you must rely on others. Landlords have no way of knowing that a pipe has burst, a water heater has toppled, or that rain is pouring through a leaking roof until they get that phone call from their tenant asking, “What do I do?” If you have rental property, water damage has the potential to become far costlier than it could have been due to renters who have less at stake or simply don’t know what to do.

Instead of hoping the pipes will hold, educate your tenants about the actions that they should take should flooding or plumbing mishaps occur. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

First, create a small binder for each property that you own. This binder will act as a resource for your tenants and should include detailed information about a variety of concerns. Create tabbed sections and include a table of contents so that the tenants can quickly flip to the section, such as the water damage section, as needed. Include sections such as:
• Contact information and rental agreements – List contact numbers where you can be reached, including phone number, cell phone number, and e-mail address. Include a log sheet where renters can record their security deposit, rental payments, and related information.
• Maintenance – Create a sheet of standard maintenance that your renters are expected or authorized to handle. For example, do tenants need your permission before repairing leaking faucets? If not, how much money do you authorize for repairs before they must contact you? Include pockets for receipts along with reimbursement forms for authorized out-of-pocket repairs. Create a second sheet covering other maintenance requests, such as for repairing broken windows, repainting a room, or replacing water damaged carpets. Give detailed instructions on how to request repairs and improvements.
• Insurance Claims – Your insurance policy covers your rental property but not the renter’s personal belongings. With this in mind, you may want to create a section covering insurance claims. Let the renter know that their personal belongings are not covered by your insurance policy and that they are responsible for obtaining coverage if desired. Detail the steps the policyholder must do when the property has been damaged – such as call you immediately, call 911 in emergencies, file a police report, and so on.
• Plumbing and Water Damage – Plumbing problems are among the most common problems tenants and landlords deal with. From garbage disposals that won’t turn on to overflowing toilets and burst pipes and everything in between, your tenants will likely encounter some form of water or plumbing trouble. What should they do? In this section, you should list specific steps for minimizing the damage followed by instructions on what to do once the water has stopped flowing. Include the following information:
1. Detailed diagram and instructions showing the exact location of all water shut-off valves and how to turn off the water.
2. Safety precautions and warnings about electrocution.
3. Instructions on how to turn off the power.
4. Instructions on how to mop up the water. It’s not a bad idea to invest in basic cleanup supplies and stock each rental property with a mop and bucket, absorbent towels and sponges, and a toilet plunger. This ensures that your tenants have the tools required to act quickly.
5. Instructions on what to do once the basic water issue has been somewhat contained, such as after shutting off the shut-off valve of an overflowing toilet and mopping up the water, what should the tenant do?
• Preferred Vendors – Home repairs will be necessary from time to time. If you have agreements with specific vendors or have vendors you trust and prefer to work with, this is an excellent place to list the information. It is also helpful for tenants as they will need to call to arrange service. List the phone numbers to preferred local handyman services, water damage restoration companies, pest control companies, electricians, roofing companies, plumbers, carpet cleaners, home improvement contractors, and so on. Provide pockets so that the tenant has a place to store contracts and receipts along with blank pages for writing down notes and estimates.

When it comes to taking care of your rental properties, it helps to keep your renters involved as they are on the front lines. When it comes to emergency repairs and water damage, renters need to know how to act promptly and safely and that you will take care of the necessary repairs. They also need to know that their prompt actions can minimize the damage and cause less disruption to their lives. This simple binder provides renters with the tools and information that they need to better help you keep your properties in tiptop shape.


By: Mr. Mark Decherd

For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100
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Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.

About the author:
Mr. Mark Decherd is a husband, father and CEO of a small business, born in Montreal Canada. He grew up in the states. Water Damage

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