Water leaking in your rental home is something that no renter ever wants to happen! But if you do discover a leak, there are things that you can do to help make the best of the situation. To ensure you help fix it, 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 initial step is to switch it off at the place of origin. 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, you’ll want 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. Following that, utilize a wrench and some pliers to turn the valve until the water stops flowing.
Contain the leak and minimize water damage
First, turn off the water. Then, mop up any water leaking or sitting on the floor, under cabinets, or anywhere else. To dry drawers, table legs, and other wood, use old towels and a mop to minimize the water’s spread.
If your carpet or rugs are soaked, utilize towels to soak up as much water as possible. Following that, let some fresh air in and turn on multiple fans to dry the rug quickly. If you let a wet carpet sit for too long, it may result in mold and permanently damage any furniture that is positioned on top of it.
Notify your landlord or property manager
Once you get the water flow under control, you should call your landlord instantly. Your landlord needs to know what happened and what you carried out to address the problem.
If you don’t fix a water leak right away, it could lead to serious damage. If you wait too long to fix the problem, 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 last step in dealing with a water leak in your rental home is to implement excellent prevention. Once you understand what triggered the leak, you need to take steps to prevent a repeat of the same incident. As much as possible, protect your drains and pipes from high and low temperatures, clogs, and other common problems.
Staying on top of regular maintenance is also something you can do, and you should let your landlord know if you notice any signs of a developing problem. By resolving things before the pipes break, you can do a lot to help prevent water leaks in your rental home.
Real Property Management Partners can assist you in locating a new residence to rent in Grand Rapids or the nearby area. Please look through our available rentals to discover more and set up a showing.
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