How to Avoid an Airbnb Plumbing Emergency

Minimise Plumbing Emergencies at Your Airbnb Property

Owning or managing an Airbnb property comes with its unique set of challenges, and one of the most critical aspects to manage is plumbing. Plumbing emergencies can cause significant disruption to your guests’ stay, leading to negative reviews and potential loss of income. To help you keep your Airbnb property running smoothly, and not require our Airbnb plumber to assist you, here are some practical tips to avoid plumbing emergencies.

Tip 1 – Get Your Guests to Scrape Their Plates

When you have a house full of guests there’s a mountain of dishes to be done. Make sure you get everyone to scrape their scraps into the bin, so they don’t end up in the sink or dishwasher. It’s more difficult if you aren’t there to manage this, but a detailed sign on your dishwasher or instructions in your guest manual to encourage this should help.

Kitchen scraps are a common offender of drain blockages over the holiday periods or get togethers so ensure you also leave your guests a sink strainer for when they let any water out of the sink.

Also, ensure you ask guests not to flush any kind of fat or oil down the drain. It will harden in your pipes and cause a fatberg. These are not pretty but will cost a pretty penny to remove. Ask your Airbnb guests to pour any excess oil into a container or on some paper towel (supplying this for them will help) and put straight into the bin.

Tip 2 – Be a Good Bathroom Host

Make sure you leave a bin in all of your Airbnb’s toilets and bathrooms. Guests won’t want to walk out of a bathroom with a handful of personal rubbish. To encourage your guests to dispose of their bathroom waste thoughtfully, and not flush things like female hygiene products or flushable (LOL) wipes, providing a bin is necessary. A reminder notice about what not to flush would be even better.

Tip 3 – Ask Your Guests to Stagger Their Showers

Another tip when having a house full of guests is to get them to stagger their showers, leaving about 10 minutes between each one. This gives your property’s drains more of a chance to clear in times of high usage, especially if you have any pre-existing concerns with your drains and their capacity.

This one is obviously a difficult ask, but finding a fun way to mention it in your guest rule book is worth a shot?

Tip 4 – Prevention Is Better Than Cure

If you have an old hot water system threatening to die, a rusted and frayed flexi hose that could burst at any time or a leaky tap with a drip that gets a tiny bit bigger every day NOW is the time to do something about it. Airbnb’s usually have a house full of guests at any time, using showers/sinks/spas etc meaning any extra pressure put on these plumbing problems could cause a Airbnb plumbing disaster.

Don’t wait to schedule these things in a few days before a large group of guests arrive, risking a refund paid to your guests for their inconvenience if they have no hot water or tradies coming in during their peaceful stay. Book your Airbnb plumber appointment in TODAY to avoid disappointment.

Tip 5 – Turn Your Water Meter Off If You Have No Guests Booked In

We had a friend who recently moved back into their home after months of it being uninhabitable. Their home flooded while they were away camping due to a burst flexi hose. As mentioned in a previous blog, the most common time that a flexi hose tends to fail is when someone is away for a weekend or on holiday.

Why? During a normal day, we brush our teeth, wash our hands, have a glass of water, clean the dishes and flush the toilet, with water coming through our pipes all day long. During the night when we sleep, the water flow is dormant in the pipes waiting to be released by the flush of the toilet or turn of the tap in the morning when we awake.

The water in the pipes is pressurised, and the morning flush of the toilet releases that pressure. When we go away on holiday, the water in the pipes is under constant pressure and does not get its daily ‘release’. This doesn’t prove a problem on most occasions, however if a flexi pipe is damaged or ageing, it is a weak point in the pipe system and its integrity is compromised, causing the risk of a burst hose and escaped water.

Turning off your water at the mains if you have no guests booked into your Airbnb for a period of time is one way of ensuring you won’t come back to a soggy home. Instructions on how to turn off your water meter are found here.

Regular Inspections and Maintenance will Reduce the Risk Of Airbnb Plumbing Emergencies

The key to preventing plumbing issues in your Airbnb property is regular inspection and maintenance. Schedule routine checks of your plumbing system, including pipes, flexi hoses, taps and toilets, to catch potential problems before they escalate. Consider hiring a professional plumber like McCarthy Plumbing Group to conduct thorough inspections at least twice a year.

While it’s impossible to control every action of your guests, providing them with basic plumbing guidelines can significantly reduce the risk of emergencies. Include a list of do’s and don’ts in your welcome packet or house manual, including instructions on who to contact in a plumbing emergency.

Old and outdated plumbing fixtures are more prone to leaks and other issues. Investing in modern, water-efficient fixtures can help prevent problems and reduce water bills. Consider installing low-flow toilets, high-quality showerheads and efficient hot water systems.

Managing an Airbnb property in Melbourne can be incredibly rewarding, but it requires proactive measures to prevent plumbing emergencies. By following these tips and investing in regular maintenance, you can help ensure your property remains a safe and enjoyable place for your guests, earning you positive reviews and repeat bookings.

For professional Airbnb plumbing services and advice, contact McCarthy Plumbing Group today. We’re here to help you keep your Airbnb property running smoothly.