Quick Guide To Common Tenant Issues

Water Leaking Into Your Property

If you have a leak in your property and it is affecting the property below, you must make sure to isolate the leak to avoid any further damage. If unable to isolate issue, water should be turned off at the stop cock which is noted on your inventory. Contact the office during the day or out of hours if after 5pm or at the weekends.

Access to Your Property

If we give our tradesmen keys to your property this will allow them to attend promptly. However if you wish to be present while work is being carried out you should be aware that this could delay response time due to the nature of their work. Tradesmen cannot always guarantee appointment times.

Drainage Problems

Please ensure that cooking fat/oil is not poured down the sink or WC as this may result in a blockage. If this is found to be the source of the problem you will be charged for necessary works. If there is a Saniflo (macerator) toilet in the property, please ensure that no solid items of any description are put down the WC. It is designed for human waste only and any costs resulting from misuse will be charged to you.

Washing Machine

Please make sure all loose items are removed from pockets before placing items in machine and don’t overload, occasionally clean the soap drawer as this can clog.

Most machines have a filter at the front of the machine if the machine is slow this may be clogged. Do not release the filter unless you have unplugged it and have something to catch the water. We would recommend a bucket to hand when checking the filter.

Light Switches Don’t Work

If you find that all, or some of your light switches don’t work, it may be that a fuse has tripped; this could be a blown bulb.

Locate the fuse box (marked on the inventory) if you require one, call us.

Check to see if one of the fuse buttons is sticking the other way from the rest, if so push back to position, alternatively there may be on/off buttons.

The lights should then come on and you then can identify which bulb is not on and replace. If they still do not work then call us. The same goes for sockets if they go off and the electric trips. Switch all off and put the switch at mains back on, then put sockets on one by one to source fault if they still trip, call us.

There Is No Power In My Property!

If you lose power supply completely it is possible there has been a power cut.

Check to see if any neighbours are out of supply too, if they are, then it is likely the area is out and you will need to wait till the power company rectifies – Scottish Power 0845 270 0700 if only your property is affected check the fuse box or call us.

Vacuum Cleaner

If your vacuum cleaner has lost suction, it may be a simple problem to deal with, please check the following:

Make sure the vacuum cleaner is unplugged and then cover the floor to protect from dust and dirt, check the section of the vacuum that holds the bag. By feeling the bag you can tell it is full, check all accessible pipes/hoses to see if there are any blockages. Also, check the belt, if you still have problems please call us.

LOCKED OUT OR LOST KEYS?

You will be charged for lost keys.

Radiators Are Cold

If the central heating is working and the top of the radiator is cold, it probably needs to be bled and trapped air needs to be released, to do this: Switch off the heating and allow the radiators to cool. The valve you need to be turned it can be found at one end of the radiator towards the top. With a rag beneath to catch drips of water, use a radiator key to slacken the air, bleed valve (these can be purchased from any hardware store)

There will be a hissing sound when air comes out, this is perfectly normal – as soon as water appears close the valve again. The heating can now be switched on.

If the radiator still does not heat up fully, please call us.

There are youtube videos that show you how to re-pressurise your boiler and refer to your instruction manual.

If You Smell Gas

Call the emergency number immediately and listen to instructions given also advise us of the situation.

Dampness & Condensation

Dampness and condensation can never be underestimated especially when you are sharing a larger property. To maintain the condition of the property please ensure that the property is adequately ventilated throughout your tenancy. This will allow air to circulate.

• Keep your home well ventilated by opening windows every day. During the day you should make sure that the drip vents are open to allow air to escape. If you have condensation on windows it is likely that it will be elsewhere in your property too.
• When you are cooking always turn the extractor fans on in the kitchen on a high power to allow them to extract any excess moisture from pots and pans. If possible, open up windows for extra extraction. It is an idea to leave the extractor fan on for longer than you are cooking, as there will be excess moisture in the air which you cannot see.
• Always keep the lids on pots and pans whilst cooking so that the moisture does not escape from the pans. If the lids are off moisture will be rising from the pans even if you cannot see it. Just as you can only see your breath in the air on a cold day, you can only see the moisture rising from a pan when the temperature is lower.
• After taking a bath or shower there will be excess moisture in the air. To stop condensation forming the windows should be opened and extractor fans turned on. Try to keep the bathroom door shut as much as possible so the moisture doesn’t escape into other parts of your home and keep the extractor fan on for at least 10 minutes after showering.
• When you are drying your clothes if possible you should dry them outside. If you cannot do this then put them in an enclosed room and keep the window open. If you use a tumble dryer to dry your clothes it is extremely important that the ventilation pipe runs outside your property. Do NOT dry your clothes over radiators.
• Ideally, a small gap should be left between the outside walls and furniture as this allows the air to move away from the bottom of the walls and circulate around the room. If it is trapped between the furniture and walls it will condense onto walls and could form into black mould.
• During the winter and at other cold times throughout the year you should try to maintain a constant temperature in your home. This is because it is cold air that causes the warm air to release moisture. If the air is all the same temperature then this cannot happen.
• Should you have problems with extractor fans/ventilation units please call us