Water intrusion and damage can be a big problem for your rental property. If you notice it in your property or your tenant reports it, you need to act quickly to stop the problem from getting worse and to repair the issues that have already been created. Let’s talk about what you should do.
First, Contact your Property Manager The first thing you want to do when you find water intrusion or damage is to call your property manager. If you do not have one, you should probably get one fast. Property managers know how to handle these situations because we deal with them all the time, especially during the rainy season in California. We always see a lot of leaks, and it’s a routine habit for property managers like us to handle them quickly and completely. For individual landlords who are managing on their own, it can be a really big headache. Delays in the process will cost you lots of money; in some instances, up to thousands and thousands of dollars a day. Find a Qualified Contractor Your property manager will immediately hire a contractor to stop the damage and repair the problem. As an owner, you could do that yourself, but finding the right professional can get a little tricky. Property managers know the best licensed contractors in the area. We have relationships in place with plumbers and other vendors, and trusting our good judgment and past experience is much better than just looking someone up on the internet. Communication between Owners and Managers
Your property manager should go out to the property and survey the damage. If it’s a severe leak or not a routine problem, we can take some good pictures for the vendors we’ll call. We will also share the photos with you so you have a good idea of what’s going on at your property. We want you to stay informed and up to date on what is happening. Relocate the Tenant In severe cases of water damage, you may have to relocate your tenant. This is another good reason to have a property manager because we will handle that for you. We can find a reasonable rate at a local hotel and stay in touch with the tenants until the repairs are made. Asbestos
Lastly, we have to talk about asbestos. If you have an older building, you are more likely to find asbestos in the property. There are legal requirements for testing, and it’s important to know how all that works. Instead of taking the two hours to learn it all yourself, you can call a property manager because we handle asbestos and habitability issues every day. Having to remove the drywall and bring in special equipment to dry it out is complex, and the machines often go for $500 a day. Sometimes, you have two or three of those in a unit to fix the problem. If you do not get this done fast enough, you can literally lose thousands of dollars. It is much cheaper to just give us a call.
Let us help you through the water problems at your house, or work with you to prevent them. Contact us at The HLW Group.