I've got 2 properties in Gladstone, the first one built in 1997, the second in 2008.
Late January I was notified of a leaky shower in the second property (2008). I opened a claim via Suncorp and to keep things brief it was an awful drawn out 3 month process with the tenant becoming furious and me constantly on the phone to Suncorp to progress the assessment, the further assessment, the review of the assessment report, etc, etc. It only just concluded with them saying they will not cover the event as it's a leak in the shower wall (rather than internal pipes).
To make matters worse, this was the second time this shower had a leak. It had the same leak 18 months prior with a local plumbing company charging me $2,500 (over many visits) diagnosing, chasing and 'fixing' the leak.
With showers, I understand there are basically two ways to fix them. The first is the 'band aid' that *may* work, which is essentially re-sealing the shower without removing tiles. Cost is around $300. If this fails, the 'full fix' is a rip out and re-tile. I was quoted $4.4k for this.
On the plus side I've got a good handyman/builder. He's given the first shower a very solid re-seal a week ago and today he's going to check if it's worked.
Now, I've just been notified the other shower in the second property is also leaking AND one of the showers in the first property. This leak seems much worse as there is lots of mould in the carpet and underlay. Now I've got both tenants complaining and asking for rent reductions, and the issue of mould to deal with).
I was about to raise another two claims with Suncorp, although I'm not keen on having another 3 month long drawn out process to hear them tell me 'no'.
Also, I'm quite disappointed to find the landlord insurance I've been paying thousands for over the years is USELESS in this situation.
Worst case scenario, I'm up for 4x rip out and re-tiles at a total cost of 17.6k. I'm sure I could work out a better deal with the builder but still it'll be $$$.
This has come at a really bad time as I was injured and off work (earning no income) for 4 months last year and I've lost around $100k on each property in Gladstone. On top of the halving in rents the properties are barely neutral and my rainy day buffer account is less than $800.
Any thoughts on the best way to deal with this? I've asked the builder to inspect all showers and report back.
Should I just go ahead with the $300 re-seal on the 2-3 other showers for the sake of fixing it fast, waiting a week and seeing if they hold?
What should I do about the mould? No use fixing it until the leak is fixed but at the same time it's something I should address quickly.
Late January I was notified of a leaky shower in the second property (2008). I opened a claim via Suncorp and to keep things brief it was an awful drawn out 3 month process with the tenant becoming furious and me constantly on the phone to Suncorp to progress the assessment, the further assessment, the review of the assessment report, etc, etc. It only just concluded with them saying they will not cover the event as it's a leak in the shower wall (rather than internal pipes).
To make matters worse, this was the second time this shower had a leak. It had the same leak 18 months prior with a local plumbing company charging me $2,500 (over many visits) diagnosing, chasing and 'fixing' the leak.
With showers, I understand there are basically two ways to fix them. The first is the 'band aid' that *may* work, which is essentially re-sealing the shower without removing tiles. Cost is around $300. If this fails, the 'full fix' is a rip out and re-tile. I was quoted $4.4k for this.
On the plus side I've got a good handyman/builder. He's given the first shower a very solid re-seal a week ago and today he's going to check if it's worked.
Now, I've just been notified the other shower in the second property is also leaking AND one of the showers in the first property. This leak seems much worse as there is lots of mould in the carpet and underlay. Now I've got both tenants complaining and asking for rent reductions, and the issue of mould to deal with).
I was about to raise another two claims with Suncorp, although I'm not keen on having another 3 month long drawn out process to hear them tell me 'no'.
Also, I'm quite disappointed to find the landlord insurance I've been paying thousands for over the years is USELESS in this situation.
Worst case scenario, I'm up for 4x rip out and re-tiles at a total cost of 17.6k. I'm sure I could work out a better deal with the builder but still it'll be $$$.
This has come at a really bad time as I was injured and off work (earning no income) for 4 months last year and I've lost around $100k on each property in Gladstone. On top of the halving in rents the properties are barely neutral and my rainy day buffer account is less than $800.
Any thoughts on the best way to deal with this? I've asked the builder to inspect all showers and report back.
Should I just go ahead with the $300 re-seal on the 2-3 other showers for the sake of fixing it fast, waiting a week and seeing if they hold?
What should I do about the mould? No use fixing it until the leak is fixed but at the same time it's something I should address quickly.