Our Gutter-Vac franchisees work in conjunction with Real Estate Agents and Property Managers all around the country. Individuals and families have made a large investment by buying a property and then renting it out via a Real Estate Agent to either pay off the property or to generate an investment income.
Something that is often overlooked in the maintenance of an investment property are the gutters. This is a big mistake and for the cost of a few hundred dollars a year, can really help keep your investment in its best condition.
Let me tell you a story. Late last year, one of our franchisees was telling us a story of a real estate agent calling him to clean the gutters of multiple properties under their management. The franchisee asked them what had prompted to call him. After hearing the story, he knew exactly why they had called.
The Real Estate Property Manager had a property that had recently received severe water damage. Let’s just say, when I say severe, I mean severe. In a storm, the gutters had overflowed (of course they were completely blocked) and because of the amount of water, the gutters did not simply overflow onto the ground, the water actually went the other way from the gutters and into the ceiling cavity of the property. This of course meant that the ceilings were not just slightly water damaged, they in fact were so severely damages from the weight of the water, they caved in.
So you get the picture. A property – with tenants in place – with ceilings that are now in pieces on the floor and all over the tenant’s possessions plus some water that came down with the ceilings to add to the scene.
Of course the property was insured, but when the insurance assessor came to inspect, he found that the gutters were blocked – extremely blocked – so deemed that because the property had not been properly maintained and that the water damage was the result of blocked gutters, not the storm itself, refused the insurance claim!
So who’s fault is it that the gutters were not clean. The landlord, the agent, the tenant? Yes, it was more than just the property that was messy!
What’s the old saying? Prevention is better than cure!
Real Estate Agents like working with the Gutter-Vac team because we are fully insured, safety trained and keep things fuss free when working with them – which is a bit different for the Real Estate Agents when dealing with anyone in the trade industries.
So if you have an investment property, when was the last time you had your gutters cleaned? Does your Real Estate Agent organise this for you or is it your responsibility? What is the state of your gutters on your investment properties?
Maybe it is time you gave us a call on 1300 654 253 to discuss your gutter cleaning needs.
