Unfortunately, it looks as if bookings are drying up and travel is going to be restricted again for a few weeks or months. While you can still take guests travelling for work, it could also be a good time to look at your property maintenance and get any of those niggling little jobs out of the way. (**At time of writing Lockdown#2 has just been announced in England, we have just entered new tier restrictions in Scotland and there are implied and confirmed restrictions on travel). While money may be tight at the moment due to a much shorter season than normal, with lower rates, a full refurbishment project may be put off for another year, we’ve put together a list of 10 smaller steps you can take to ensure your property is still going to attract those top reviews when we can get the season underway again.
- Painting – Hall ways, and bedroom entrances tend to get battered by guest suitcases and scuffs and marks can make the property look dirty. See if you can clean the marks off the wall, but be aware the paint may come off too. We tend to suggest re-painting these high traffic areas every couple of years to ensure it still looks fresh and clean.
- Silicone and shower guard seals – We all know that mould can grow really quickly on silicone, and it can be difficult to remove. First action is to use a chlorine-based mould treatment, and leave it on to soak for at least 12 hours. (you can soak some bleach in kitchen roll or use a spray such as Sani-MouldOut which is excellent. **NB be careful with these products, they damage metals and chrome such as taps and if mixed with acids can liberate toxic gases.) Also check that the silicone is still providing a good seal around the bath or shower tray to ensure no water will get through and cause a flood below! If the silicone is damaged or the mould is too ingrained then cutting it out and replacing it is the answer. Around the bottom of bath top shower guards, you often have a plastic seal that can need an annual deep clean. You can again clean with a good detergent and a tooth brush. However, it can take a while and can be tricky to get behind all the folds, it might be quicker, easier and cheaper to replace this seal.
- Grout between tiles – Also in bathrooms you should check if your floor or wall tiles are coming loose. To do this, tap the tiles on the wall, you will hear a different tone for those tiles at that loose. These should be removed, cleaned and replaced, along with the grout between them. You can use the same method with your floor tiles, and if you notice any grout is missing this is also a sign that they are loose or moving. In this situation you should investigate further by lifting the tiles and seeing what’s causing it. There may have been a historical leak that got below the tiles, or the base that they are laid on could be loose. Find the problem, fix it and then relay your tiles and re-grout. This job can be tricky – particularly bringing the tiles up and cleaning them off to relay them, so it is good to have some spare tiles to hand. Grout can also discolour so an annual scrub and potential touch up with a grout pen can be a good way to keep it looking fresh
- Curtain rails – are they still all up nice and tightly and not coming away from the wall? No one wants a curtain rail falling on them! Curtain rails are often screwed directly into the plaster board, and even with the right attachments, with time these will wear and begin to fall out. We often fit some wooden ‘plates’ or runners behind to share the weight of the curtains over a larger area. It’s definitely worth checking these over.
- Shelves – on a similar note, any shelves that you might have straight into the wall or pictures etc, just check them and see if anything needs fixing in better.
- Plugs, drainage etc – while your wonderful housekeeping staff will have been clearing the shower and bath traps at every clean it may be worth checking them over to ensure there is no blockage further down. Using a simple drain clearing tool can be great for this.
- Chairs and Beds etc – tighten up all those joints and screws and make sure they are still sturdy and solid. No one wants a message from a guest saying their chair collapsed under them! And if you have a bed with slats, then pick up your mattress and check those bed slats! The holders between slats can wear quite quickly and you may not know that your guests are having to replace the slats every night. You can order new made to measure slats online.
- Kitchen Cupboards – While you are giving these a good clean out and cleaning off the tops of the cabinets, you may also want to check the hinges are all still tight and in good working order, and that your kickboards are still well attached and not falling down.
- Double check your light bulbs and light fittings – are they all still secure in the ceiling and are all your bulbs working, and have you got a good supply of spares in the property ready for the next season. In flats or houses where there are people moving about above the ceiling light fittings can come loose. It’s also a good time to clean the light fittings, lamp shades and replace any damaged ones.
- External Power Washing and garden maintenance – are your patios and driveways needing any attention with power washing and re-sanding, and are your garden fences and sheds secure, and your outside furniture all secured and put away ready for the winter weather bashing?
At Landlords’ Little Helper we can help with all of these jobs and much more. We have a fabulous maintenance team who can redecorate, fix, mend, advise and replace most things. We can also quote for full home re-decoration and refurbishments. It really is a case of no job is too big or too small for us! Feel free to contact me for any further information.
Email office@landlordslittlehelper.co.uk Phone/WhatsApp 07717 206867
