One of the advantages of renting property is that when something goes wrong with the house or its appliances, someone else sorts it out for you. If the property is fully managed, you contact the property management team. In other circumstances, you contact the landlord. 

However, while Cobbles and our landlords provide a great property management service, it’s not immediate. The office can’t be open 24/7 and even landlords are entitled to go on holiday (!). 

Fortunately, some minor interventions are permitted under tenants’ responsibilities. They could save you time and headaches. 

In this blog, we take a quick look at tenants’ responsibilities and share three home hacks that could make a difference. 

Tenants’ responsibilities

Your responsibilities as tenants are written in your tenancy agreement. Before you attempt to fix anything, check whether it is your responsibility. This is because making repairs to things that are not your responsibility breaches the tenancy agreement. It could also void any warranties, insurance or repair schemes the landlord has entered into. 

All the tips in this blog will, at best, solve the problem and, at worst, do nothing. They won’t make the problem worse and they won’t breach your tenancy agreement. 

How to reset a tripped fuse board

A tripped fuse board is a common problem with an easy solution. It usually happens because an appliance is drawing too much power. This means it’s more likely to happen with plug-in adapters, and with appliances that heat up, like kettles and toasters. 

You’ll know it’s happened because all the power will suddenly go off. In larger properties, you might notice that power is only off in one part of the house. 

Fortunately, it’s easy to fix. Go to the fuse box (you might need a torch or the light on your phone) and reset the trip that’s pointing down. If that doesn’t work, push all the trips down, then reset them one by one, starting with the big one marked “main switch.” 

If you still have no power, your whole street could be affected by a power cut. Find out if there is a power cut in your area – if there is, you just have wait for it to come back on. And if it’s not a tripped fuse or a power cut, please call property management or your landlord – we will send an electrician. 

How to unblock a sink

Obviously, the main point about blocked sinks is to try not to block them in the first place. Pull the hair out of the plug hole when you clean the bathroom, and use a sink strainer when you wash up in the kitchen. 

But sinks can still get blocked from time to time. The best way to unblock them is with a plunger. Put the plunger over the plug hole to create a seal. Work it up and down, maintaining the seal, to push air into the blocked pipe and pull it up again using suction. 

If you don’t have a plunger, put bicarbonate of soda down the drain and follow it up with some white vinegar. It will foam and the foaming action should release the blockage. A branded unblocker will usually do the job too, but they contain very harsh chemicals so it’s worth trying a natural approach first. 

If the sink is still blocked, call your landlord or property management – we will send a plumber. Please don’t start taking pipes apart – leave it to the professionals. 

How to descale a washing machine

If your clothes aren’t very clean after a machine wash, it could be that your washing machine is scaled up. Alternatively, there could be some mould growing under the door seal – nasty. 

Fortunately, cleaning a washing machine is easy! It could also prevent it from limescale damage in the future. 

Wipe the outside down and empty the filter, which is usually located on the front of the machine. Open the soap dispenser/detergent drawer and give it a clean – an old toothbrush is a handy tool! Open the door and clean around and under the seals. Lastly, put a cup of bicarbonate of soda in the drum and pour a cup of white vinegar into the drawer. Run a hot wash and the machine will clean itself. 

Some washing machines have self-cleaning cycles – if yours does, use it! You can also get branded washing machine cleaning compounds but, as with the blocked sink, it’s worth trying a chemical-free approach first. 

If the washing machine is still not cleaning properly, there could be a fault. Don’t attempt a repair on your own – please call property management or your landlord and we will send an engineer. 

Property management services in Guildford

We hope our tips have saved you some time and worry. If you rent with Cobbles and there is anything else in need of repair, please contact us on 01483 457 000 and we will send someone round to fix it.