Real Property Management Advantage

What to Do When There’s a Leak in Your Birmingham Rental Home

No renter ever likes to experience water leaking in their Birmingham rental home. But as a matter of fact, if you do find a leak, there are things that you can implement to help make the best of the situation. To ensure that you give and contribute to the solution, here’s what you should do immediately when there’s a leak in your rental home.

Shut Off the Water

If you see or hear water coming from somewhere it shouldn’t, your first strategy is to shut the water off. If the leak is coming from a faucet or appliance, you would be able to shut off the water merely by turning the handle or powering it off. If your leak is more extreme than that, though, you’ll have to shut off the main water supply to the house. To achieve this, locate your water main shut-off valve. This would be in a basement, utility room, or outside the home. After that, use a wrench and some pliers to turn the valve until the water stops flowing.

Minimize the Spread

When you get the water turned off, your next move is to mop up any water that has dripped or pooled on the floor, under cabinets, or elsewhere. Utilize old towels and a mop to taper down the spread of the water and to dry cabinets, table legs, and other wood. If your carpet or rugs are soaked, take advantage of towels to soak up as much water as you can. After, open windows and turn on several fans to make an effort to have the rug dry as promptly as you can. Leaving a wet carpet to sit may give rise to mold and permanently damage any furniture sitting on top of it.

Call the Landlord

When you get the water flow under control, it’s essential to call your landlord right away. Your landlord needs to know what happened and what you’ve done to mend the problem. Water leaks have to be solved as soon as they take place, or serious damage can crop up. If you let the problem sit too long, you could be held liable for those damages. By calling your landlord, you can work together to set up and arrange to have the leak repaired and get any further damage in the home resolved.

Practice Prevention

The final leg to addressing a water leak in your rental home is to practice good prevention. Whenever you distinguish what caused the leak in the first place, it’s significant to perform your part to prevent a repeat of the same incident. If it is possible, protect your drains and pipes from extreme temperatures, clogs, and other common mishaps. You can equally do your best to keep track of regular maintenance concerns and alert your landlord if you spot evidence of a developing or progressing issue. By fixing things before the pipes burst, you can do a lot to help prevent water leaks in your rental home.

Would you like to trade in your current Birmingham rental home for one that is maintained year-round by qualified professionals? Real Property Management Advantage can help! Visit our website to check out our listings or give us a call at 248-259-2575.