Ray White Rural Albany is encouraging property managers and clients to inspect flexible hoses following reports of flooding in homes in Western Australia’s port city of Albany due to issues with flexible hoses.
The most urgent cases include flexible hoses under bathroom and kitchen and kitchen sinks.
“We’re checking all our properties now during inspections, as well as creating jobs for our local plumbers to inspect all properties for us,” Ray White Rural Albany general manager Julie Hetherington said.
“We’ve come across two properties during those inspections where the flexi-hose is wearing under the sink and we’ve had a plumber at a third property uncover the same issue of a flexi-hose on its way out. It seems to be something that’s reoccuring and whether or not it’s an issue being raised now because we’re specifically looking for it, it’s still a problem for owners’ properties.”
Ms Hetherington said they were yet to uncover a consistent cause behind the recent costly spate of related incidences which has affected a variety of rental properties, from older homes to modern builds.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” she said.
“It’s a matter of wear and tear, but what we are finding as well that it can be a case of the pressure at the water meter being too high which can create pressure on the flexi-hose.”
Ms Hetherington said the most serious case of damage to a home from a burst flexi-hose was also the most recent.
“A hot water flexi-hose burst and flooded the entire house,” she said.
“There was a problem with the water meter and the elderly tenant couldn’t turn it off. There was about an inch of water across the property.”
Ray White Rural Albany has issued a message to homeowners and tenants is clear to check all flexi-hoses in their homes.
Ms Hetherington said property managers and landlords should also check their tenants are aware of the issue, and know the exact location of the water meter on the property.
