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Landlords 'should inspect properties regularly for roof problems'

07th June 2012

Buy-to-let property owners have been advised to make regular inspections of their assets to check for any structural faults, particularly regarding the roof.

As they may not be able to attend the property on a frequent basis, landlords often rely on tenants to notify them of any problems.

However, Nick Oldridge from Roofapedia.com notes that many tenants may not notice or be motivated to inform the landlord when there is a fault with the structure of the building.

As such, if landlords fail to carry out regular inspection themselves, problems could go unchecked and left to get worse.

"With landlords, a renter is not going to mention anything. I never did when I was a renter in regards to the fabric of the building as it wasn’t my concern," he commented.

"If you are a landlord you should attend the property at least yearly or twice yearly to do an inspection and see where you stand with your roof structure. You could very quickly wipe out all that you gain from your rental income if you have a problem essentially."

Having landlord buildings insurance in place will ensure that if any damage to the structure of the property is spotted, it can be repaired at minimal cost to the landlord.

A regular inspection is a good way for landlords to spot general issues with the property, not just the roof.

But Mr Oldridge urged landlords to make a particular effort to check the roof for faults, as it is often an area that is overlooked.

"As a landlord you are less likely to notice roof problems as you are busy monitoring what is happening inside the building," he said.

Should the landlord find that repairs to the roof are necessary, they should take time to research and get quotes from different contractors to make sure they are getting a good deal.

"When you buy a car or a kitchen you tend to have your facts very well researched, but in roofing, something we have noticed is that people just rely on the contractor putting forward whatever he wants to put forward," noted Mr Oldridge.

Posted by Jason Randall

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