Avoid Massive Winter Maintenance Bills
April 16, 2024
Ensure your tenants know how to winter-proof their home.
There’s plenty you need to advise your tenants on as winter closes in.
The last thing you want, over the holidays, is an avoidable phone call telling you there’s a dire emergency caused by a frozen pipe!
Maintenance Desk™ proactively informs all your tenants of best practice in preventative care and even assists with expert video calls to ensure they are both confident and competent at meeting their responsibilities as accountable tenants.
Any letting agents and landlords who have not yet set up a FREE Maintenance Desk™ for their portfolio can download and share this guide with their tenants to help reduce the likelihood that they get hit with a big bill from an emergency callout this winter.
Cold Weather Precautions: Keeping Your Home Cosy and Damage-Free This Winter
Expert Advice From a Property Maintenance Specialist
As the frosty fingers of winter begin to grip our homes, it’s essential to prepare your property to withstand the harsher conditions that lie ahead, and ensure a safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient season.
Freezing temperatures can pose significant risks to your home, particularly to water and heating pipes. A burst pipe can lead to extensive water damage, structural damage, and costly repairs. Thankfully, with a few simple precautions, you can keep your home safe and sound throughout the frosty months. To prevent such mishaps and ensure your home remains warm and functional throughout the winter, please follow these comprehensive guidelines:
Preventive Measures for a Trouble-Free Winter
Maintain a Low Level of Heat:
Ensure that your property maintains a consistent, low level of heat throughout the day and night, even if it’s unoccupied. This will prevent pipes from freezing and bursting, especially if the property is vacant for more than 24 hours.
Check the Boiler Frost Thermostat is Operational:
This mechanism automatically activates the heating system when temperatures drop near freezing, preventing the pipes from freezing.
Locate and Ensure Accessibility of Stop Taps:
Familiarise yourself with the location of all stop taps in your home. Ensure they are easily accessible for quick access and functioning correctly, allowing you to quickly shut off the water supply in case of a pipe burst.
Inspect Waste Pipes and Boiler Overflow Pipes:
Regularly inspect waste pipes and boiler overflow pipes for signs of icing or freezing.
This can obstruct the flow of water and prevent your boiler from operating correctly.
Thaw The Boiler’s Condensation Pipe Before Calling an Engineer:
If your boiler malfunctions, check if the external condensate pipe is frozen.
Thawing the condensate pipe with warm water may resolve the issue without the need for a callout.
Address Minor Leaks Promptly:
Don’t ignore minor leaks or dripping taps. Prompt attention can prevent further damage and costly repairs.
Report any minor leaks or dripping taps to your letting agent or landlord.
Even small leaks can escalate into significant damage over time.
Emergency Response: Tackling Burst Pipes
In the unfortunate event of a burst pipe, follow these steps immediately to minimize damage and restore functionality.
Turn Off the Stop Tap Immediately:
Upon detecting a burst pipe, immediately turn off the stop tap to halt water flow and minimise any damage to the property and contents.
Drain the Sink Taps:
Open all sink taps to drain as much water as possible from the system.
This helps reduce the extent of water damage.
Drain Down the Heating System (If Affected):
If the burst pipe affects the heating system, locate the system drain and bleed valves and drain down to release pressure quickly.
Locate and Contain Leaks:
Identify the source of the leaks and place containers to catch the escaping water.
Temporarily wrap leaking pipes with lagging material to minimise the water flow and prevent further damage.
Report the Incident Promptly:
Inform your letting agent or landlord about the burst pipe without delay.
They will arrange for the necessary repairs, restore the water supply, and assess any damages.
Your Legal Responsibilities: Maintaining The Property to Prevent Damage
Unblocking Sinks and Bleeding Radiators:
Tenants are expected to take reasonable steps to maintain their property, including unblocking sinks and bleeding radiators.
Liability for Damage:
UK law has established that tenants are expected to take reasonable precautions to maintain their properties, including unblocking sinks, bleeding radiators, and taking the preventive measures outlined above. Failure to take these precautions may result in liability for any resulting damage.
Emergency Assistance and Further Guidance
If you encounter any plumbing or heating issues during the winter season, don’t hesitate to contact your letting agent or landlord for a prompt resolution.
For additional help and guidance, please visit HelloMaintenance.co.uk or call us on 03303 413 236, we’re here all day, every day.
Recent Posts
Avoid Massive Winter Maintenance Bills
April 16, 2024
Maintenance Desk™ Saves Landlords and
April 15, 2024
Revolutionise Letting: How AI Streamlines
April 8, 2024
Managing Director
Maintenance Desk Ltd.
124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
email@maintenance-desk.co.uk
Among the types of Personal Data that this Application collects, by itself or through third parties, there are: name, occupation, phone number, address, email address, Cookies, and Usage Data.
Other Personal Data collected may be described in other sections of this Privacy Policy or by dedicated explanation text contextually with the data collection.
The Personal Data may be freely provided by the User, or collected automatically when using this Application.
Any use of Cookies – or of other tracking tools – by this Application or by the owners of third-party services used by this Application, unless stated otherwise, serves to identify Users and remember their preferences, for the sole purpose of providing the service required by the User. Failure to provide certain Personal Data may make it impossible for this Application to provide services.
Users are responsible for any Personal Data of third parties obtained, published, or shared through this Application and confirm that they have the third party’s consent to provide the Data to the Owner.
Methods of processing
The Data Controller processes the Data of Users in a proper manner and shall take appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, or unauthorised destruction of the Data.
The Data processing is carried out using computers and/or IT-enabled tools, following organisational procedures and modes strictly related to the purposes indicated. In addition to the Data Controller, in some cases, the Data may be accessible to certain types of persons in charge, involved with the operation of the site (administration, sales, marketing, legal, system administration) or external parties (such as third party technical service providers, mail carriers, hosting providers, IT companies, communications agencies) appointed, if necessary, as Data Processors by the Owner. The updated list of these parties may be requested from the Data Controller at any time.
Place
The Data is processed at the Data Controller’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved with the processing are located. For further information, please contact the Data Controller.
Retention Time
The Data is kept for the time necessary to provide the service requested by the User, or stated by the purposes outlined in this document, and the User can always request that the Data Controller suspend or remove the data.
The use of the Collected Data
The Data concerning the User is collected to allow the Owner to provide its services, as well as for the following purposes: Contacting the User, Analytics, Content performance and features testing (A/B testing), and Managing contacts and sending messages.
The Personal Data used for each purpose is outlined in the specific sections of this document.
Detailed Information on the Processing of Personal Data
Personal Data is collected for the following purposes and using the following services:
1. Analytics:
The services contained in this section enable the Owner to monitor and analyse web traffic and can be used to keep track of User behaviour.
Google Analytics (Google Inc.)
Google Analytics is a web analysis service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google utilizes the Data collected to track and examine the use of this Application, to prepare reports on its activities and share them with other Google services.
Google may use the Data collected to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.
Personal Data collected: Cookies and Usage Data.
Place of processing: US – Privacy Policy – Opt Out
Content Performance and Features Testing (A/B testing):
The services contained in this section allow the Owner to track and analyse the User response concerning web traffic or behaviour regarding changes to the structure, text, or any other component of this Application.
Google Website Optimizer (Google Inc.)
Google Website Optimizer is an A/B testing service provided by Google Inc.
Google may use Personal Data to contextualise and personalise the ads of its own advertising network.
Personal Data collected: Cookies and Usage Data.
Place of processing: US – Privacy Policy
2. Contacting The User:
Contact Forms (This Application)
By filling in the forms: “Contact Us”, “Let’s Go!” and “DEMO” with their Data, the User authorises this Application to use these details to reply to requests for information, quotes, referrals, invitations, or any other kind of request as indicated by the form’s header.
Personal Data collected: name, occupation, email address, and phone number.
3. The chat service provided by the chat widget named “Hannah” requires the following additional Privacy Terms:
Privacy Policy for Hannah Chatbot on Maintenance-Desk.co.uk
Introduction
Maintenance Desk Ltd. ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you interact with our chatbot, Hannah, on our website Maintenance-Desk.co.uk.
Information We Collect
When you interact with Hannah, we may collect the following types of information:
- Personal Information: This includes your name, job title, employer, business address, email address, phone number, and any other information you voluntarily provide.
- Business Information: This includes operational data, property details, and any other information relevant to your business or maintenance needs.
- Technical Information: This includes your IP address, device information, browser type, and other technical details about your interaction with Hannah.
- Communication Data: This includes transcripts of your conversations with Hannah and any files or documents you share.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide and Improve Services: We use your information to respond to your inquiries, provide product advice, offer customer service, schedule demonstrations, and personalize your experience with Hannah.
- To Communicate with You: We may use your contact information to send you updates, promotional materials, or other information related to our services. You can opt out of these communications at any time.
- To Analyse and Optimise: We may use aggregated and anonymised data to analyse trends, monitor usage patterns, and improve the functionality and performance of Hannah.
We may share your information with:
- Service Providers: We may engage trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our website, provide our services, and process your information. These providers are obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of your data.
- Other Maintenance Desk Entities: We may share your information with other entities within the Maintenance Desk Ltd. group for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.
- Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
Data Security
We take the security of your data seriously. We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Data Retention
We will retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. You can request that we delete your data at any time.
Your Rights
Under the GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectify: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Erase: Request that we delete your personal data.
- Restrict Processing: Request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
- Data Portability: Request that we transfer your personal data to another controller.
- Object: Object to the processing of your personal data.
Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us, and we will promptly delete it.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on our website. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
4. Managing Contacts and Sending Messages
This type of service makes it possible to manage a database of email contacts, phone contacts, or any other contact information to communicate with the User.
These services may also collect data concerning the date and time when the message was viewed by the User, as well as when the User interacted with it, such as by clicking on links included in the message.
MailChimp (The Rocket Science Group, LLC.)
MailChimp is an email address management and message sending service provided by The Rocket Science Group, LLC.
Personal Data collected: email address.
Place of processing: US – Privacy Policy
Additional Information About Data Collection and Processing
Legal Action
The User’s Personal Data may be used for legal purposes by the Data Controller, in Court, or in the stages leading to possible legal action arising from improper use of this Application or the related services.
The User declares to be aware that the Data Controller may be required to reveal personal data upon request of public authorities.
Additional Information About User’s Personal Data
In addition to the information contained in this Privacy Policy, this Application may provide the User with additional and contextual information concerning particular services or the collection and processing of Personal Data upon request.
System Logs and Maintenance
For operation and maintenance purposes, this Application and any third-party services may collect files that record interaction with this Application (System logs) or use for this purpose other Personal Data (such as IP Address).
Information not Contained in this Policy
More details concerning the collection or processing of Personal Data may be requested from the Data Controller at any time. Please see the contact information at the beginning of this document.
The Rights of Users
Users have the right, at any time, to know whether their Personal Data has been stored and can consult the Data Controller to learn about their contents and origin, to verify their accuracy, or to ask for them to be supplemented, cancelled, updated, or corrected, or for their transformation into anonymous format or to block any data held in violation of the law, as well as to oppose their treatment for any and all legitimate reasons. Requests should be sent to the Data Controller at the contact informatio... This Application does not support “Do Not Track” requests.
To determine whether any of the third-party services it uses honour the “Do Not Track” requests, please read their privacy policies.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
The Data Controller reserves the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time by giving notice to its Users on this page. It is strongly recommended to check this page often, referring to the date of the last modification listed at the bottom. If a User objects to any of the changes to the Policy, the User must cease using this Application and can request that the Data Controller remove the Personal Data. Unless stated otherwise, the then-current Privacy Policy applies to all Personal Data the Data Controller has about Users.
Definitions and Legal References
Personal Data (or Data)
Any information regarding a natural person, a legal person, an institution, or an association, which is, or can be, identified, even indirectly, by reference to any other information, including a personal identification number.
Usage Data
Information collected automatically from this Application (or third-party services employed in this Application), which can include: the IP addresses or domain names of the computers utilised by the Users who use this Application, the URI addresses (Uniform Resource Identifier), the time of the request, the method utilised to submit the request to the server, the size of the file received in response, the numerical code indicating the status of the server’s answer (successful outcome, error, etc.), the country of origin, the features of the browser and the operating system utilised by the User, the various time details per visit (e.g., the time spent on each page within the Application) and the details about the path followed within the Application with special reference to the sequence of pages visited, and other parameters about the device operating system and/or the User’s IT environment.
User
The individual using this Application, which must coincide with or be authorised by the Data Subject, to whom the Personal Data refers.
Data Subject
The legal or natural person to whom the Personal Data refers.
Data Processor (or Data Supervisor)
The natural person, legal person, public administration, or any other body, association, or organisation authorised by the Data Controller to process the Personal Data in compliance with this Privacy Policy.
Data Controller (or Owner)
The natural person, legal person, public administration, or any other body, association, or organisation with the right, also jointly with another Data Controller, to make decisions regarding the purposes, and the methods of processing of Personal Data and the means used, including the security measures concerning the operation and use of this Application. The Data Controller, unless otherwise specified, is the Owner of this Application.
This Application
The hardware or software tool by which the Personal Data of the User is collected.
Cookies
Small piece of data stored in the User’s device.
Legal information
Notice to European Users: this privacy statement has been prepared in fulfilment of the obligations under Art. 10 of EC Directive n. 95/46/EC, and under the provisions of Directive 2002/58/EC, as revised by Directive 2009/136/EC, on the subject of Cookies.
This Privacy Policy relates solely to this Application
Last Edited on 06/07/2024
Maintenance Desk Ltd.
124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
This Agreement will govern your use of our websites, applications, services and all other aspects of your commercial relationship with us, so please read it carefully. By using our websites, applications and services, you agree to each of the terms and conditions below.
1. Definitions
- Agreement: These terms of service, form a contract between you (the Client) and Maintenance Desk Ltd.
- Client: The individual, business, or organisation using the Services.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd.: The company providing the Services, registered in England and Wales under company number 14958674.
- Services: The websites, applications, call handling, contractor marketplace, client website integrations, and other related services provided by Maintenance Desk Ltd. as outlined in Clause 3.
- Portal: The online platform, Portal.Maintenance-Desk.co.uk, through which Clients can access certain Services.
- Maintenance Services: Property maintenance and repair services provided by Maintenance Desk Ltd.'s network of subcontractors.
- Content: Any data, information, or materials provided by the Client or generated through the use of the Services.
- Credentials: The username and password, or other authentication methods, used to access the Services.
- Intellectual Property Rights: All patents, copyrights, design rights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights relating to the Services.
By using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Business. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use the Services.
3. Our Services
Maintenance Desk Ltd. provides a variety of services to assist with property maintenance and repair, including:
- Portal: An online platform for managing maintenance requests, communications, documentation, and contractor scheduling.
- Call Handling: Call centre services for reporting maintenance requests and customer service.
- Contractor Marketplace: A network of vetted subcontractors who can be appointed to carry out Maintenance Services.
- Client Website Integrations: Widgets that can be embedded in Client websites to facilitate maintenance reporting.
4. Client Responsibilities
- You are responsible for providing accurate and complete information when using the Services.
- You must keep your Credentials confidential and secure.
- You must obtain all necessary consent from any third parties whose information you provide to Maintenance Desk Ltd.
- You must use the Services in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
- You agree to inform us immediately and in writing if any of your email address(es) or telephone number(s) should no longer receive patched calls or message notifications; you acknowledge that, unless and until you do so, we will continue to patch calls and/or send such notifications to the email address(es) and/or telephone number(s) that you previously provided for those purposes.
- You further agree to obtain and acknowledge that you are solely responsible for obtaining each of the permissions described above from your employees, agents, tenants, and all other persons who use or interact with the Services in any way on your behalf. Similarly, you agree to obtain and acknowledge that you are solely responsible for obtaining each of the permissions described above from third parties who use or may use the Services to communicate with you.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. will provide the Services with reasonable skill and care.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. will take appropriate measures to protect the security of your data.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. will not be liable for any delays or failures in performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
- In order to deliver the Services, we need your permission to perform various tasks with the calls and messages that we handle on your behalf. Accordingly, you agree that we may (i) patch calls from third parties to you to the telephone number(s) that you provide to us for those purposes; (ii) create and maintain written records of messages from third parties to you that we take on your behalf; (iii) send notifications that include the contents of, and other information related to, such messages t...
- You will incur the monthly charge(s) associated with the Licence you’ve selected for each whole or partial month during which this Agreement remains in effect, including charges for additional services, authorised works, applicable taxes, or other payments required by law, which you authorise us to collect from you.
- You agree to pay us the full amount of each invoice you receive by the due date listed on the invoice. You authorise us to send your invoices to the primary email address you provided during sign-up and to inform us immediately and in writing of any change to that email address or your other billing information. If you have provided us with your credit card information or enabled any other automatic payment method you authorise us to charge the amount of each of your invoices to your credit card ...
- Late payments may incur additional charges.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. may suspend or terminate the Services if payment is not received on time.
All Intellectual Property Rights in the Services belong to Maintenance Desk Ltd. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reproduce any part of the Services without Maintenance Desk Ltd.'s prior written consent. You agree that the software, systems and data through which we deliver the Services are proprietary to Maintenance Desk Ltd. and shall in all events remain the exclusive property of Maintenance Desk Ltd.
8. Confidentiality
Both parties agree to keep confidential any information disclosed by the other party in connection with the Services, except where disclosure is required by law.
9. Limitation of Liability
- Maintenance Desk Ltd.'s liability for any loss or damage arising from the Services is limited to the amount paid by you for the Services in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. will not be liable for any indirect, consequential, or special damages.
- This Agreement will continue on a month-to-month basis until you or we terminate it in accordance with this paragraph. This Agreement will be in effect for a minimum period of 30 calendar days. Following that period, either you or we may terminate this Agreement at any time, for any or no reason, upon written notice to the other party. We may terminate this Agreement at any time if, in our sole discretion, we determine that you have violated any provision of this Agreement or our policies regardi...
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. warrants that it has the right to provide the Services.
- Maintenance Desk Ltd. does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted or error-free.
- Any warranties on Maintenance Services will be provided separately in writing.
- EXCEPT AS MAY BE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT, MAINTENANCE DESK LTD. FURNISHES THE SERVICES “AS IS”, WITH ALL FAULTS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, we do not warrant that we will have sufficient resources to handle unexpected increases in call and message volumes, that the Services will be error-free, or that the Serv...
Any disputes arising from this Agreement will be resolved through mediation, arbitration, or the courts of England and Wales.
13. Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
14. Entire Agreement
These Terms of Business constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.
15. Fair Use Policy
- After the first 30 calendar days, the free licence is granted on a month-by-month basis, in good faith and access to the services under that licence is offered free of charge, provided that at least one invoice for an authorised maintenance job or other service has been issued and settled during the previous 30 days.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Maintenance Desk Ltd. from and against any and all claims, losses, demands, liabilities, costs, and expenses suffered or incurred.
×
Let's chat
© 2024 Maintenance Desk Ltd. (Co Reg: 14958674)
124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX