Many people in the Virginia Beach/Coastal Virginia area have vacation homes or rent their houses out during part of the year. Having a vacation home can be a lot of fun and may make for a good investment, but it can also be a lot of responsibility to care for, especially if you aren’t local all of the time. One thing you should be careful of when owning a vacation home is the plumbing. How old is the plumbing? How often/harshly is it being used? Questions like these are important to consider as you don’t want your renters to have plumbing issues during their stay. Here are some tips to keep your home’s plumbing ready for renters!
Keep the home’s plumbing well maintained.
This is one tip that we’ll always share. We can’t stress enough how important it is to perform regular check-ups and maintenance on your home. Routine maintenance on your plumbing will help lower the risk of problems creeping up later. We suggest annually or bi-annually having a plumber out to inspect your home. This way, problems can be caught and fixed before becoming worse or more costly.
Leave notes for your renters about special instructions.
If you have any special instructions for your home’s plumbing, perhaps a specific sink doesn’t normally work; make sure you share that. Often times, we just want to assume that people will realize an error or do the right thing. Sometimes, it’s helpful to just share up front what your expectations are during their stay. Leave instructions and notes if something about your plumbing is different; that way, you don’t have a repair to make and they don’t have to stress that they broke something on vacation.
Consider putting some trust in your renters.
If you have people who rent your home regularly or just trust your renters in general, then leave them equipped. Leaving basic tools in your home, including something like a plunger, can help empower them to solve problems independently. Often people are handy enough to fix minor plumbing problems; let them do so. That way, you won’t constantly be bothered with issues that need repairing and your renters don’t feel stranded with a problem. Of course, it’s important to set expectations, so they don’t go fixing everything.
Leave the # of your trusted plumber.
If you have a local plumber, leave their number available to the renters. This way, if something goes wrong, they know specifically who to contact and the issue can be resolved quickly. This is especially great if you’ve been with a plumbing company for several years. They may know who you are and that you rent the home out, giving them some background when calls come in. Having a good relationship with a trusted plumber can never hurt! If you’re local to the Norfolk, VA area, Norfolk Plumbing would be happy to be that plumber for you.
Overall, plumbing issues in a vacation home can be avoided. Doing your due diligence to keep the home up to date and well maintained will help eliminate any extra stress. It’s also important to keep an open communication line with clear expectations anytime you rent your home. This way, there are no surprises or confusion should an issue arise. If you’re looking for a trusted plumber in your area, our team is here to help. We’ve been serving the Norfolk, VA area for over 20 years and would love to assist you in any way we can.
Just call (757) 466-0644 for help!