Preventing leaks from escalating into a disastrous situation - Redmark Security

One of the worst fears a property manager can have is having damage or loss from a containable situation that goes astray to cause major damage and financial loss. Prevention of losses, physical and financial, is a major goal for managers.

Let’s discuss about what steps can be taken to prevent a leak from getting out of control. Today we will look at ways to achieve prevention of losses in the case of a leak on your property.

Floods from leaks and water damage accounts for many insurance claims and sometime the number can rise to as much as 50% of all claims. We cannot ignore deductibles for small damages that cannot be claimed through insurance and also the potential rise in insurance premiums due to damages that exceeds deductibles and are claimed through insurance policies. So, learning how to avoid disastrous results from a leak will save you money in the long run.

Water damage from leaks can have many different causes. When you have diverse range of people living in a residential building with varied lifestyles, you as a Property Manager should be prepared for ignorance from the tenants that can lead to leaks or other water damages resulting from over-flowing toilets, unattended water puddle on their wash room floor, un-attended washer that can also leak, pipes can burst and water heater can leak as well. Prevention of losses is heightened when you are prepared for the eventual inevitability of a water leak.

What kind of things can be done to contain or prevent leaks:

• One recommendation is to have trained security guards doing patrols in your building. These guards can conduct regular patrols and watch out for any issues that could escalate into a full-blown flood. Note here, Red Mark Security is a leading provider of trained security guards.

• Another idea is to have a plumbing company create a list of shut off valves. This could be included in a standing /post orders manual for easy reference. This would include locations of shut off valves as well as the purpose of each. Particularly if your building has retail spaces, there could be many shut offs and the potential for leaks is also higher because of the complexity of plumbing systems in these types of buildings.

• Staff of the property such as residential managers or maintenance people should also have access to the lists of shutoff valves, as the quicker we can react to a potential flood; the more we can prevent any losses.

• Another idea is to have trained security guards conduct weekly or monthly audits of the property to check for any visible deficiencies on your property, so that these can be addressed before a leak even happens. Trained security guards can do this as part of their regular patrols and these records can be kept for reference to help in the future as well.

Having a plan to deal with leaks will give you a big peace of mind and allow your tenants to live in their home comfortable in knowing the likelihood of a leak becoming a disastrous situation is low. Red Mark Security is an industry leader in providing trained security guards & is always ready to help companies prepare a plan for prevention of losses.