Boiler maintenance may not be top of most landlords’ list of priorities but considering the potential costs and consequences if something does go wrong, perhaps it should be.
Major repairs or a full breakdown can be a nightmare for any property owner so The Landlord Link has broken down how to stay on top of your boiler upkeep and why it’s so important.
Landlords and boilers – the law
You are required, as a landlord, to arrange annual gas safety checks in your property in accordance with The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. This will ensure that you comply with gas safety laws but also that any warranty on the system remains valid.
This annual service must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer; a DIY approach to boiler care is not the way to go!
Ongoing maintenance of your boiler
Whilst it is true that a service or repair should be carried out by a competent professional, there are several smaller measures that you can take throughout the year to prevent the worst happening when winter hits.
Read our guide to winter maintenance checks for your buy-to-let property >
If you find that radiators are heating unevenly, they probably need bleeding. Doing this – or encouraging your tenants to do so – will lead to a healthier boiler.
Insulating your pipes will prevent them from freezing in colder weather. Alternatively, you can set the heating to run at a low temperature whilst the property is empty. It’s simply a case of working out the most cost-effective option for you.
Leaving the heating turned off all summer can cause parts within the system to seize up. Run the heat for a few minutes each month to keep things functioning smoothly.
What to do if your rental property’s boiler breaks down
If the worst case scenario does present itself and your buy-to-let property’s boiler stops working altogether, what do you do next? Firstly, you can try re-setting the boiler or taking some of the measures explained above to see if this gives it a needed kick-start. If this fails to work, you’re going to need a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out repairs.
The average cost of a boiler repair is somewhere around the £300 mark but a full replacement is going to cost you anything between £1000 – £3500. As the landlord, it is most likely going to be your responsibility to stump up the cash.
So, if boiler care isn’t something you’ve considered recently, perhaps it is an issue you should think about addressing before it’s too late – it could save you in more ways than one.
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