- Record July rainfall caused issues for property managers
- 28 of the 31 days had rain, with a related high amount of roof leaks
- Property manager Wouter Jellema explains why this is a tricky issue to resolve
All property managers in Perth I have spoken with, whether residential or commercial, all agree that the number of roof leaks that had to be managed in the last month was extraordinary.
A residential property manager said: “if I get one more report of a leaking ceiling, I will go mad.”
The Bureau of Meteorology published on Twitter that July had the highest number of rainy days since 1946. This was just shy of an all-time record July rainfall, and around double the median amount of rainfall.
Roof leaks a challenge
First of all, it is always a challenge to locate a leak. Sometimes, you might see the water coming into the building at one spot, but the actual ingress is located metres away, out of sight.
Secondly, you need rain to test to see if the repairs or adjustments have fixed the issue or if it the issue is still there or if there are other leaks at the property. Sometimes, roof repairs are duly completed, which is then followed by months of dry weather. When the first summer storm hits, the tenant reports that the leak is still there.
Thirdly, especially in the case of last month, the contractors need dry weather to access the roof to do maintenance work. With 28 days out of 31 having rain, the air is humid, the rooves are slippery and it is simply not safe to do the necessary repairs.
This made July a very challenging month for property managers and roofing contractors. Hopefully, August will give us a bit of a break from the rain allowing us to attend to the various rooves. Of course, we were thankful for the much-needed water. It fell during the all-important growing season for the Wheatbelt, and our dams needed topping up. However, when water goes places where we do not need it, it can be a real nuisance.
