WWYD? Moving and renting house out

[HerRoyalNotness]

I have a small, potentially large problem.

We've noticed the skirting in the master bathroom has dampness, wood not soft, but warping and paint bubbling. We noticed it when we moved in, and has steadily worsened.

Our handyman is replacing the skirting for us to tidy up before renting out, and it is quite damp behind it, after showering today, there are definite puddles.

What to do?
a) fix it before we go? Leak is in the wall so would entail ripping out the shower (2 walls tiled), praying that's where the leak is, fixing, re-tiling and putting in new shower floor and walls (kind of 1 full door and 1 half wall on top of a dwarf/hip wall (sincerely hope that's not custom!)

b) leave it and when we return, possibly in 2yrs, fix it then as we intend to renovate entire bathroom, going back to studs.

Issues

1. We may or may not return to said house in 2 yrs
2. Leak could worsen to the point of needing to be fixed before we return (I've actually already had someone in to measure up and discuss ideas/materials so could realistically engage them as design/build to get it done without flying back)
3. We don't have the money spare and would have to dip into DC savings, but would prefer not to as this is our, wrote off the car/roof blown off the house/emergency flights to home country backup fund, and don't really want to erode it.
4. if we go for shower fix now, we'd be ripping that out down the line, and i'm not sure how closely we can match to current decor. Not that I'd want to! Currently features cream vanity, 'gold' coloured shower frame and light strip, with light brownish floor tiles. Does it matter if it doesn't match as such? More important to have it fixed and in good order?

We did try to get a bank loan but were turned down. We spent our savings on renovating the upstairs bathroom ready for tenant and didn't have the cash for the master bath.

What are your thoughts?

You need to find a way of fixing it before you let out. A leak is only likely to get worse over time, could cause damage beyond superficial and is even a potential emergency. Do you want to risk a panicky call over a bank holiday weekend , need to pay emergency charges and compensate tenants?

Definitely fix - water could do untold damage while you are away. You also don't want your tenants on the phone.
Depending on the market you are renting to - matching may (v high end) or may not (everything else) matter. It might not be as bad as you think. It might be accessible by just going through the master bedroom wall. Check your household insurance - depending what it is it might be covered.

Ah, that's a brilliant idea! Going through the master wall, as the shower backs onto it..... I will suggest that to Mr Handyman (MrH), much cheaper solution.

So glad I asked!

I doubt we'd have to pay compensation, there is another full bathroom in the house, but I see your point. MrH suggested, that we'd probably just have to replace some 4x2s in the wall when we got back, but I was also worried about the v. expensive hardwood floors being damaged, so was very unsure what to do. Money is the issue in doing too much there, but do want it to be in good condition.

Sounds like you cannot possibly leave that for two years!! You need to get it fixed now. Have you already rented it out? Could you take the shower out and rent it without the shower (assuming there is also a bath in the master bathroom and an upstairs shower that you refer to?). Obviously depends what sort of property and tenants you expect to have - you would have to be upfront about it. I would fix if at all possible - I wouldn't worry about perfectly matching but you cant leave something leaking puddles every time it is used.

Not rented out yet, we have a couple of months to sort it out. Puddles are only ever behind the wall, we've never noticed water on the floor, but did know there was a problem there due to the skirting warping.

There is an upstairs shower over bath, and due to recent reno, it's the nicest bathroom, in fact the nicest we've ever had. The shower downstairs is separate from the bath, so could decommission it and reduce rent to compensate, but would rather avoid.

MrH is going to try the bedroom wall fix to see if what he can see.

As an aside, insertusernamehere DH is curious as to what your occupation is. He's always chuntering on about MN, and I said, Ha! Guess where I found the answer! I think his opinion of the site has been greatly improved.

Haha - my occupation is fairly niche so don't want to out myself. Nothing practical - I just recycle knowledge that I have gleaned from reading PigletJohn over the years.

he was going to suggest you go forth and be an engineer or something, haha. He is one, but is not a practical type of chap.

I'll have to take more note of what pigletjohn is saying for more tips

if you rent it out with two bathrooms they both need to work, unless you actively point out that one does not work and have that written in the lease. That would also shout 'landlord doesn't maintain place'...

doesn't matter if things don't match but they must work.

I hope you have contingency funds for repairs during the letting and all the right insurances, plus money for voids, legal cover, malicious damage cover, etc...

yy, we have worked into our budget maintenance savings etc... and can cover all the expenses of the house while we are way even if there is no tenant. If there is, bonus. The landlord insurance is cheaper than what we pay now, so can add the difference to the maintenance savings also.

It's just that right now, as we didn't get the reno loan from the bank, we used the savings we had to reno the upstairs bathroom, which was in dire need. It still had half carpet and half stained lino in it, and a stupid wall between sink and the bath/toilet area which made it very dark and cramped.

We will see what MrH says when he pokes a big hole in the bedroom wall, re the fix, and what options we have for a cheaper one to make it good for a tenant.

You'd be crazy to leave a leak for 2 years.

Yes well I do appear to be losing my mind lately.

Anyway, now have a hole in the bedroom wall and all is dry inside, thankfully, so we will shower for a couple of days and see what happens