DIY a False Economy for Professional Landlords

Tempted when faced with a property maintenance issue to apply a bit of DIY. After all it’s cheap and as Jeremy Clarkson would say “what could possibly go wrong?”

Well…..

Does this DIY scenario sound familiar:

• Travel to the nearest DIY outlet
• Spend time looking at all the taps
• Purchase a new set of taps
• Return home
• Start to remove the old set of taps
• Find that the taps are rusted on and it needs a lot of brut force to remove them (time consuming)
• Finally remove the old taps
• Start to fit the new taps only to find that the plumbing doesn’t quite match up
• Return to the DIY outlet
• Try and explain to the assistant what has happened and what you require
• Return home after purchasing, you hope the correct part
• Start to fit the new taps
• Turn the water back on, only to find that there is a leak coming from the pipe work under the sink.

Finally you decide to call a professional plumber and as it is a Saturday or Sunday and it will be an emergency call out!!

If this sounds familiar then whether it is fitting taps, kitchen units or general redecoration you need to think about this sound piece of advice from Nick Knowles from the BBC programme DIY SOS.

Time, is a big issue when it comes to upgrading your property. You need to work out how much money you can earn per hour doing your usual job and compare it with how much you would pay a contractor.
If it’s better financially for you to go to work rather than take time off to do the job, then pay someone else to do it.
“It will also cause less damage to your social life,” added Nick
“If you want to see the kids and still go down the pub in the evening, then a contractor is your best bet”.

In addition to this advice from Nick, a contactor from a local office based property maintenance company will guarantee their work and have a set hourly price plus materials.

Try and avoid the advert in your local paper, with only a mobile telephone number as they could be anybody and you will have no guarantee if there are problems in the future. Always chose a professional company that employs top class tradesmen and guarantees their work.