The student rental plumbing checklist for West Chester landlords

West Chester is a rental town. Only about 35.4% of homes in the borough are owner-occupied, so roughly two out of three households rent. West Chester University enrolls more than 17,000 students, and many of them live in older twins and singles converted to rentals. Those houses work hard. Five tenants, one kitchen, and a hundred-year-old drain line is a recipe for a Sunday night call.

The good news is that rental plumbing problems follow a pattern. A few hours of preparation at the right time of year prevents most of them.

Between leases: the turnover checklist

The weeks between May move-out and August move-in are your window. Plumbers are easier to schedule, and nobody is living with the disruption.

• Test the main shutoff valve. Close it fully, confirm the water stops at a faucet, and reopen it. Old valves in borough homes often seize. Our guide to the main water shutoff valve explains what to do if yours will not turn.
• Clear the kitchen line. Grease builds up along the drain all year. Clearing it now is a routine job. Clearing it in October with a sink full of dishes is an emergency. See drain cleaning.
• Check every toilet. Put a few drops of food coloring in each tank. Color in the bowl without flushing means a leaking flapper, which wastes water and raises the bill.
• Look at the water heater. Note its age from the label, look for rust or water at the base, and flush sediment from the tank. A heater near the end of its life should be replaced on your schedule, not the tenants’. See water heater repair and replacement.
• Camera the sewer line in older houses. If the house was built before the 1960s and the main line has ever backed up, a camera inspection shows whether roots or a sag are waiting to cause the next one. See sewer line repair.
• Test the sump pump, if there is one, by pouring a bucket of water into the pit.
• Check under every sink for drips, soft cabinet floors, and corroded supply lines, and replace old rubber washing machine hoses with braided ones.

Move-in day: give tenants a one-page plumbing guide

Most tenants have never had to think about plumbing. A single page taped inside a kitchen cabinet prevents a surprising number of calls. Include:

• Where the main shutoff is, with a photo, and how to turn it.
• The rule for toilets: only toilet paper. No wipes of any kind, even ones labeled flushable. Our article on flushable wipes explains why.
• The rule for the kitchen sink: grease goes in a can, not down the drain, and scraps go in the trash.
• Who to call, and when. A dripping faucet can wait for a text. Water coming through a ceiling cannot.
• Where the plunger is. Put one in every bathroom.

During the semester: small problems, fast

Tenants often ignore a slow drain or a running toilet until it becomes a big one. Ask them to report slow drains, drips, and stains right away, and fix them quickly. A stain on a ceiling under a bathroom is worth tracing early, because in shared-wall rowhomes a leak can travel into the house next door. See leak detection.

Winter break: the most expensive week of the year

January nights in West Chester average about 22°F. An empty rental with the heat turned down too low is the classic frozen pipe call, and the damage is found only when tenants return. Before the break:

• Keep the heat on at a steady, reasonable setting. Do not let tenants turn it off.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls.
• Disconnect outdoor hoses and shut off and drain outdoor spigots.
• Ask one tenant, or a property manager, to check the house during the break.

If a pipe does burst, shut off the main valve first, then call. Our homepage has step-by-step emergency instructions.

Hiring a plumber for your rentals

Pennsylvania requires most residential contractors to register with the Attorney General as Home Improvement Contractors and put the registration number on every estimate and contract. Ask for it, ask for a written price before work begins, and ask for photos of completed work so you have a record without visiting the property.