AIIC Serve up a Winter Warning

Being mid-November, the Christmas warnings are well on their way. The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has put together guidelines for how landlords can avoid problems and save money.

The AIIC has told landlords to beware of water damage as tenants attempt to save money themselves on heating bills. They believe tenants should be made aware of the risks of turning the heating off if they’re going away for Christmas.

Pat Barber, Chair of the AIIC, said: “Tenants will be hoping to save money on high energy bills by turning off their heating when they go away for a few days to visit family or friends. A recent example brings to life the potential costly damage that this presents to landlords. A tenant, living in a block of flats left the property for a few days during a cold spell, without leaving the heating on. The landlord was contacted by tenants in the other flats, complaining of water leaking into their flats. It was then discovered that the pipes had burst in the unheated flat and the water had brought down the ceiling. Not surprisingly, this proved to be very costly for the landlord.

They suggest if tenants are going to leaving the property empty for a few days they should keep the heating at 15 degrees.They also added further warning to those of Let Insurance Services last week over fire safety.

“There are all kind of hazards around Christmas. Many tenants will be decorating their homes with Christmas trees, fairy lights and candles, but this greatly increases a tenant’s fire risk. In fact, tenants are seven times more likely to have a fire in their home, so it is essential that smoke alarms are fitted and are working properly.” Added Mrs Barber.

They offered a few tips for landlords for the coming months too, telling landlords to check their boilers, insulation, smoke alarms and chimneys.