It’s something no renter ever aspires to face: water leaking in your rental home! Hence, if you do discover a leak, there are things that you can perform to help make the best of the situation. To be sure you play your role in 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, your immediate step is to close it off at the source. If the leak comes from a faucet or appliance, you can shut off the water only by turning the handle or powering it off.
If your leak is more serious than that, on the other hand, you must shut off the main water supply to the house. To do so, locate your water main shut-off valve. This may be in a basement, utility room, or outside the home. Thereupon, make use of a wrench and some pliers to turn the valve until the water stops flowing.
Contain the leak and minimize water damage
Immediately when you turn off the water, your subsequent step is to mop up any water leaking or pooling on the floor, under cabinets, or in another place. Benefit from 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. Afterward, open the windows and turn on any fans to dry the rug quickly. Leaving a wet carpet to sit may result in mold and permanently damage any furniture positioned atop it.
Notify your landlord or property manager
After you bring the water flow under control, it’s vital to call your landlord at once. Your landlord needs to know what happened and what you’ve executed to address the problem.
Water leaks are relevant to correct as soon as they arise, or serious damage can transpire. If you let the hazard sit much longer, you could be liable for those damages. By calling your landlord, you can cooperate to schedule to have the leak repaired and get any other damage in the home addressed.
Simple checks and maintenance tasks to avoid leaks
The final step in dealing with a water leak in your rental home is to conduct the right prevention. From the moment that you ascertain what created the leak, you must execute your part to prevent a repeat of the same incident. Protect your drains and pipes from intense temperatures, clogs, and other frequent errors whenever possible.
You can furthermore try your best to stay on top of regular maintenance inquiries and alarm your landlord anytime you detect signs of a developing problem. By correcting things before the pipes burst, you can do much to help prevent water leaks in your rental home.
Real Property Management North Puget Sound can support you in getting a new residence to rent in Everett or the nearby area. Please check our available rentals to know more and set up a viewing.
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