What I learned about managing rental property plumbing remotely?
I have an investment property in Mackay, but I live in Brisbane. Not an unusual situation in NQ, a lot of properties up there are owned by people who aren't local.
The call was received around 11:15 p.m. on a Saturday. The burst pipe was leaking water into the subfloor area. It made sense for the renter to be alarmed in such a situation. I did not have any useful contacts available.
Spent about 25 minutes googling and calling numbers that either didn't answer or weren't genuinely 24/7, just had a voicemail saying they offered after-hours service. eventually found emergency plumber coverage that actually answered a human at that hour and had someone on the way within the hour.
The water damage was contained. it was still expensive. But the part that would have made it significantly more expensive was another two or three hours of water running while I found someone.
What I set up afterward: a list of genuinely 24/7 tradespeople for the property, confirmed before I needed them rather than at 11pm. Also had the tenant photograph the water shutoff valve location so next time they can kill the supply while waiting.
For other interstate landlords with NQ properties, how do you handle these kinds of situations??