Out of hours calls to sort out maintenance problems increase with the number of properties a landlord owns and how many tenants live in them. Handling the problems effectively solves two issues – keeping the tenant satisfied and making sure a property suffers the least damage possible in an emergency.

Experienced landlords will have a plan for handling maintenance, but less experienced landlords may find a 999 approach to dealing with incidents as they happen expensive. Like most things, having a plan is the best way to deal with maintenance.

Conduct a regular safety and maintenance inspection – at least once a year Look at the roof, chimneys, gutters, fences, window frames, plumbing and white goods to make sure they are in a good condition.

It’s a good idea to have a list to check off what work may be required and to note whether any aspect of the property may need attention in the near future. Rental properties seem to suffer an inordinate amount of emergency repairs compared with a landlord’s home.

You need plumbers, electricians, gas engineers and handymen with the tools and experience to deal with repairs.

Always assess the problem and take the action required to make sure the tenants are safe and the property is protected as far as possible from further damage. arranging for the tradesman to come back the next day is generally cheaper than paying extortionate call out rates.

The most common problems involve plumbing, drains and boilers.

Don’t always fork out for expensive repairs straight away. Tenants are notorious for blocking drains and then reporting a ‘problem’. Make clear that if the blockage is found to be the tenant’s fault that they will get the bill before the work is done, if possible.

Condensation is another regular issue. Tenants often dry clothes on radiators and seem to have regular steam baths without ventilating the rooms. Unsurprisingly, this causes condensation that leads to mould.

Prevention is often better than cure, so leave written instructions about how to stop condensation with tenants when they move in and make sure they sign the handover agreeing no damp exists.

Paul Allison has run New Student, an independent student accommodation newspaper in Newcastle since 1999. In 2001, Sheffield and Liverpool papers were launched and in 2002 Leeds was added. The papers serve 250,000 students across 14 universities. Paul has an interest in all issues that affect student housing and HMOs.

By Paul C Allison