Troubleshooting your way through your tenancy
During your tenancy you may have urgent maintenance that must be attended to as soon as possible. However, quite often we find some basic troubleshooting will fix the problem without requesting a tradesperson to attend the property and can get you through till the next business day. We have developed a troubleshooting guide for our tenants to view when you encounter these problems during your lease.
This can also save you money in incorrect call out fee where the problem could have been fixed yourself. It can also help identify more details on the issue you are having and we can send out the correct tradesperson to get the item repaired as promptly as possible.
Below are some of the commonly encountered tenant problems. Please ensure you try these BEFORE submitting your maintenance request!
Air-conditioning
Have you checked to make sure the batteries in the remote are functioning?
Have you checked to make sure there is power to the unit? Go to the meter box and ensure nothing has been tripped. If it has, reset the switch and see if the unit works again.
Have you cleaned the filters? This needs to be done on a regular basis as a failure to do so will not only cause the machine to work harder, but it will also use more electricity and the unit will also not blow cold air.
Alternatively, if you have water dripping out of the front of the machine, check the outlet on the outside of the house to make sure it is clear of debris. If it is not, this will cause the condensation to build up in the machine and leak through the front.
The remote itself may be faulty. To check simply press the on/off button on the remote and look at this through a phone camera. If the light works, the remote is functioning. If it does not work, the remote is faulty. Please note that this light is not visible to the naked eye.
Ant Problem
The only method of rectification for an ant problem is to just spray them and make sure you have no food laying around. We all have issues with ants at some stage and they can even be a problem in wet weather.
Blocked Drain
If you have a slow or blocked shower or kitchen drain, try pouring some Caustic Soda or Draino down the drain. This will often break down whatever is causing the blockage. Failing that, purchase a plunger from your local hardware and attempt to unblock.
If this does not work, please notify our office and we may need to get a plumber out. Please note that on inspection, if the plumber determines that the blockage is due to hair/toys/grease etc, you may be responsible for the cost of rectification.
Carpet Stains
You will immediately need to have the carpet steam cleaned, as depending on what was dropped on the carpet, if it is not treated sooner rather than later, there may be a need for carpet replacement or a monetary compensation for the owner. Please phone our office if you ever have any concerns in this regard.
If you ever notice that you have wet carpet and this backs on to a shower area, please ring our office immediately as this will indicate a shower leakage.
GARAGE REMOTE NOT WORKING
First of all, please ensure you have power running to the unit. Check your meter box to ensure there is nothing that has been tripped.
If everything is in order, please turn the remote control off at the power point in the garage and unplug the cord and leave for a couple of minutes. Turn back on and see if this has reset the unit.
Have you checked to make sure your batteries don’t need replacing? It may be as simple as this.
If you still can’t use the door, change the door to manual use and contact our office so we may obtain the owner’s instructions for repair or replacement.
Electricity
If you have a power outage, first of all check to see whether your neighbours have power. If there are no signs of power in your neighbourhood, it will mean there is a problem and Energex will attend. For power outages in your immediate area, please call 13 62 62.
If your neighbours do have power, you need to check the safety switch in your meter box. If this has tripped, please reset and all should be good.
If the safety fails to reset, you will most likely have a faulty appliance. What you need to do is go around the house and turn off every appliance and physically pull the cord out of the wall. Don’t forget your microwave and dishwasher as these power points are usually hidden. After all appliances have been disconnected, go the meter box and reset your safety. Then, you need to go around the house and plug in and turn on one appliance at a time. The reason for doing this is to find out which appliance is faulty. You will find that you will plug one appliance in and turn on and it will trip the safety. This is your faulty appliance, and you need to get rid of it. Please bear in mind the fact that we get you to carry out these basic troubleshooting methods because if we send an electrician out to your home for a power outage and it turns out to be a faulty appliance, you may be charged the call-out fee and any associated charges.
Toilet
If you have a toilet which runs constantly into the bowl, simply use the toilet as per normal and after flushing and the cistern fills, turn the tap off at the wall to avoid unnecessary water usage. Don’t panic if you forget to do this every time. To give you a brief lesson in water charges, for every kilolitre of water you use, this costs you $3.79* (effective April 21). In every kilolitre of water, there is 1000 litres. In 1000 litres, there are 250 x 4 litre buckets. As you can imagine, 250 buckets of water is a lot…
If you ever get a blocked toilet, apart from it being unpleasant, you may also be able to fix this without the need for a plumber. Firstly, you will need to plunge the toilet and you may need to purchase a plunger from Bunnings. They are inexpensive. The toilet will eventually drain and when it does, fill a bucket with water and throw it down the toilet as hard as you can. The force of water will hopefully loosen the blockage and it will drain away. You may need to do this a couple of times to get rid of the blockage altogether. If this does not work, please notify our office and we may need to get a plumber out. Please note that on inspection, if the plumber determines that the blockage is due to an excess of toilet paper or sanitary items etc, you may be responsible for the cost of rectification.
WATER ENTERING PROPERTY IN STORMS
If you have water entering your house down walls or through doors or windows, do what you can to mop up the areas, use buckets, towels or whatever you can. Most of the time, water entering is simply because the rain is that hard and fast that the gutters cannot hold the volume of water. Nothing can be done to rectify this.
If you have water coming through the roof – this is obviously a different matter and the most recommended path to follow is to ring the SES on 132500.
You may ring us to advise of any damage but please do not ring us after hours as there is nothing physically that we can do. Either clean it up or ring the SES.
It is also our recommendation to take photographs of the damage as the owner may be able to claim this on their insurance.
