Member Article

Don’t let domestic disasters ruin your Christmas– property boss warns

• 10% suffer Christmas central heating breakdowns
• 6% damage homes with Christmas decorations
• 4 people hospitalised in Cracker accidents every year

A North East property expert has warned landlords to take action to make sure domestic disasters don’t ruin their tenant’s Christmases – or their own.

The festive period often sees a dramatic rise in accidents at home, with 6000 people ending up in Accident and Emergency on Christmas Day each year – including 4 in Cracker-related accidents.

6% of people will damage their homes with Christmas decorations – and cases have even been recorded of people blowing up their microwaves trying to cook Christmas puddings.

As many as one in ten people meanwhile have had to defrost more than their Turkey at Christmas after suffering broken down boilers and faulty central heating during the festive period.

One North East property boss is urging landlords to ensure their properties are in good condition in the run-up to the festive period in order to keep tenants are safe and warm and to protect themselves from expensive repairs.

Ajay Jagota of KIS Lettings, who manage properties for over 700 landlords from branches in Sunderland, South Shields, North Shields and Welwyn Garden City – and who were recently named Letting Agent of the Year at the national Landlord and Letting Awards - said:

“You might think that having no hot water might get you out of doing the Christmas dishes – but if your heating breaks down you might not be able to cook your Christmas dinner in the first place!

“It’s no laughing matter though – having no heating won’t just ruin someone’s Christmas, it’s potentially very dangerous and no landlord wants their holiday interrupted by having to arrange or even undertake emergency repairs.

“Christmas can be a deceptively stressful time for landlords – Christmas trees, fairy lights and candles all increase the risk of fire damage to properties, while people turning their heating off when they go away to visit family or friends can lead to burst pipes.

“You can’t do much about things like the five people who are injured in Scalextric accidents every Christmas but you can minimise some risks by getting your property ready for winter by lagging pipes and water tanks asking tenants to keep the heating on, even if they go away.

“This is where getting the right help pays for itself. Good letting agents won’t just ensure your central heating systems are regularly serviced, their on-call maintenance teams will make sure you can relax and enjoy your Christmas even if the worst does happen.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ajay Jagota .