It’s something no renter ever hopes to experience: water leaking in your rental home! However, if you do discover a leak, there are actions that you can take to assist you in making the most of the circumstance. To guarantee that you are contributing to the solution, here’s what you should do when there’s a leak in your rental home.
Turn off the water supply
If you see or hear water coming from somewhere it shouldn’t, the first thing you should do is turn off the water at its source. If the leak comes from a faucet or appliance, you can shut off the water simply by turning the handle or powering it off.
If your leak is more serious than that, however, it is critical to shut off the main water supply to the house. To perform this, locate your water main shut-off valve. This may be in a basement, utility room, or outside the home. After that, a wrench and some pliers are used to turn the valve until the water stops flowing.
Contain the leak and minimize water damage
The minute you turn off the water, your next action is to mop up any water leaking or accumulating on the floor, under cabinets, or in any other location. Use old towels and a mop to minimize the water’s spread and dry cabinets, table legs, and other wood.
If your carpet or rugs are soaked, use towels to soak up as much water as possible. Then, open the windows and turn on a number of fans to dry the rug quickly. Leaving a wet carpet to sit may result in mold and permanently damage any furniture sitting on top of it.
Notify your landlord or property manager
After you get the water flow under control, you must call your landlord straight away. Your landlord needs to know what happened and what you’ve performed to address the problem.
When water leaks occur, it is critical to address them as soon as possible; otherwise, serious damage may be incurred. If you let the problem to persist for a long time, you could be liable for those damages. By calling your landlord, you can work together to arrange to have the leak repaired and get any other damage in the home addressed.
Simple checks and maintenance tasks to avoid leaks
The final stage in dealing with a water leak in your rental home is to take efficient prevention. Once you have determined what caused the leak, you should take precautions to prevent a repeat of the same incident. Protect your drains and pipes from severe temperatures, obstructions, and other typical disasters if possible.
You can also do your best to stay on top of regular maintenance concerns and alert your landlord whenever you see signs of a developing problem. By fixing things before the pipes burst, you can do a lot to help prevent water leaks in your rental home.
If you are searching for a new place to rent in Bradenton or the nearby region, Real Property Management Horizons is able to provide you with assistance. Don’t hesitate to check our available rentals to find out more and arrange a viewing.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
