1)
Make sure your house is being visited by professional property managers at least twice a month – ideally once a week. If leaks are left unattended for long they will soon run up a huge water bill. We know of one owner who was left with a water bill for many hundreds or Euros when his management company simply ignored and failed to deal with a leaking toilet – needless to say they were soon sacked and replaced by a more competent outfit!
2)
Make sure whoever you contract to visit your property checks and makes a note of the water meter readings on each visit – this not only helps detect leaks that may otherwise pass unnoticed but it also reassures you that they are actually visiting the property on a regular basis!
3)
Consider putting together a drought resistant garden.
Although there may be nothing nicer than a lush, green lawn they do come at a premium in a Country where temperatures can frequently stay in the mid 30’s for days on end. Chose indigenous plants that require only drip feed irrigation – or none at all! If you must have a lawn consider Astroturf – although a good quality one can be significantly more expensive than lawn to install it works out much, much cheaper in the long run. It is not unheard of for people to pay over 1000 Euros every couple of months in watering a large lawn – madness! And they’re not even there to see it!
4)
Another potential suspect for water waste is your swimming pool. It is important that the pool is maintained year round by professionals who can keep an eye on the equipment and can monitor any potential leaks or problems.
If your pool has an automatic top up system it is well worth disabling – in our experience they almost always end up going wrong and can run up water bills of thousands of Euros if left endlessly filling a pool for days on end. As long as the pool is being visited on a weekly basis it should be fine to be topped up manually by your pool technician.
5)
Finally we recommend that your irrigation system and sprinklers are also frequently checked. All too often builders and developers install cheap and nasty systems which frequently spring a leak, especially when rubber pipes and tubes are left exposed in the beaming sun.
I hope the above is useful and helps minimise those bills!
Ennis Property Management …it is our job to bring Peace of Mind to owners of holiday properties in Portugal. We never forget that a property abroad is a massive investment and it is only with professional, on-going care that your investment is protected. We offer all the services you need to be able to rent out your property and all of our staff are legally-employed and fully-insured which is SO important to you
Land and construction prices are at a record low so now is the time to build that home you have always dreamt of. Ennis Project Management staff can make your dream come true and within your budget.
So if you feel we can help or even if you just want a bit of free advice feel free to contact us at admin@ennismanagement.com
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