10 ways to prepare your property for winter

Broken boilers, burst pipes, and poorly insulated homes can make being a landlord challenging in winter. And not only are these things costly to resolve, they can make your tenants’ lives extremely difficult too. But if you address these issues early, you can avoid major problems down the road.

Preparing your property ahead of winter 

The best thing you can do to prevent issues with your property in bad weather is to take preventative steps. Not every step will apply to your rental property but it’s a good idea to run through the checklist to cover all bases. 

Remember that you’ll need to get your tenants’ permission to visit the property before making any of these changes. 

1. Service the boiler 

When the weather gets colder, your boiler has to work much harder to heat the property and water. So, after a summer of rarely being used, getting your boiler serviced before the temperature drops can be a sensible idea.

Have a gas-safe engineer come to your rental property to make sure your boiler is working efficiently ahead of the winter. And while they’re there, you can ask them to complete a few other useful checks. 

2. Bleed the radiators 

Radiators can get a buildup of air inside them which makes them less efficient. Releasing the air is called bleeding the radiator. 

The reason it’s beneficial to do this before winter is because a radiator with too much air doesn’t work very well and puts more strain on the boiler. Asking the engineer to bleed the radiators can help you avoid any complications with heating your property in the colder months.

And depending on your radiator, it might be something you can do yourself.

3. Lag the pipes 

Lagging the pipes in your property means insulating them. Uninsulated pipes lose a lot of heat and are more affected by changes in temperature. Burst pipes tend to happen when uninsulated pipes experience a sudden change in temperature. 

A typical example of this is when the heating hasn’t been used for months until a cold snap comes. Then once the heating is turned on, the cold pipes burst from the surge of heat. 

Lagging your pipes should keep them at a more consistent temperature and avoid any bursts. 

4. Insulate the loft 

There are lots of reasons to insulate your rental property. You’ll save on energy bills, improve its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, and help keep your property warm for tenants throughout winter. 

A poorly insulated loft makes it much harder to keep your property warm. And if you can’t keep your property at a steady temperature, it’s more prone to issues with the boiler, pipes, and radiators. 

5. Clean the gutters 

Your gutters are designed to deal with heavy rain and snowfall but it’s important to check them, especially after autumn. As leaves fall off the trees, gutters can get clogged up, which can lead to all sorts of problems when there’s heavy rain or snow. 

When your gutter is blocked, water can overflow into the ceiling and walls and damage them. Clean any leaves or debris that’s built up over the summer to make sure water can flow smoothly. 

It’s also worth checking that the pipes are still securely fixed to the property and aren’t loose or broken.

6. Check the roof  

Loose or cracked roof tiles can lead to leaks in your property. While this isn’t probably something that needs to be done every winter, getting a professional in to inspect your roof can help prevent major leaks. 

7. Sweep the chimney 

As the cold weather creeps in, it’s natural for tenants to start using your property’s fireplace. But after not being used all summer, your chimney could have a buildup of leaves and debris. 

If your chimney hasn’t been cleared in quite some time, your property could be at risk of a chimney fire. Getting a professional chimney sweep will improve ventilation and make your property safer. 

8. Block the draughts 

Similarly to insulating your loft, you might want to make sure your windows and doors aren’t letting any cold air into your property. Checking the sealant around your doors and windows is a good place to start. Upgrading the glazing of your windows and buying some draught excluders for doors is useful too.

And ultimately, the colder your property is, the harder your boiler is going to need to work. So these smaller actions can help you avoid bigger issues this winter. 

9. Protect outdoor taps 

While most people are rightly concerned about a property’s internal pipes freezing, don’t overlook outdoor taps. You can lag outdoor pipes and buy a tap jacket to stop them from freezing. 

10. Use your heating early

A simple, free way you can help prepare your property for winter is for tenants to use the heating system before a cold snap comes.   

Gently using your heating in the lead up to winter, keeping your property’s temperature between 18 and 21 degrees, means two things:

1. Your boiler stays active 
2. Your pipes remain at a steady temperature

Both of these things can help you to avoid major problems with your property in the winter.  

What to do if your property is affected by bad weather

During extreme weather conditions, you or your letting agent will need to stay in close contact with your tenants. If the property is flooded, instruct your tenants to turn off the gas and electricity.

If storm damage to the rental property means your tenants have to move out, you’ll need to make arrangements with them about what happens next.

Landlords aren’t obliged to provide alternative accommodation – it’s the responsibility of the local council when natural disasters cause homelessness.

However, you may be obliged to pay for it if you’re found to have known about a fault and not fixed it, such as a damaged pipe that burst and caused the property to flood.

Home emergency cover, which can be added to your existing landlord insurance policy, could be extremely valuable if your property is hit by a storm.

This type of cover allows you – or your tenants – to call a 24/7 emergency line if you need to call someone out to fix problems caused by extreme weather such as a broken boiler, water damage, or electrical faults.

Contacting your insurer and making repairs

Your landlord insurance can help to cover the cost of repair work that needs to be done. It’s best to contact your insurer as soon as you can after a storm damages your property, as delaying may impact your claim.

Make sure you take photographs of the damage and speak to your insurer before you book any work as they may have preferred contractors.

Read more about making a claim. Sedgwick handles claims on behalf of Simply Business customers (unless otherwise stated in your policy documents). You can contact them by phone, letter, or email – whatever works for you. They run through what to expect once you’ve made your claim.

For more tips and information on how to make a claim, visit our winter weather hub.

Have you been affected by bad weather? If you’re a Simply Business customer and need to speak to Sedgwick, you can call 24/7 on 0333 207 0560.

More useful guides for landlords

• How much landlord insurance do I need?
• Property inspection landlord checklist
• A guide to landlord boiler responsibilities and boiler maintenance
• How to make a claim if your property is damaged by a storm

Photograph 1: I-Wei Huang/stock.adobe.com