The failures we're most often called to here are the ones that happened weeks before anyone saw them. A slow leak under a slab, a failed relief valve dripping continuously, or a hot water unit that let go in July and was discovered at Christmas. The damage is almost always worse than the original fault. If you own a property here that sits empty through winter, turning the water off at the meter when you leave is the single most effective thing you can do - and a pre-season check on hot water, drainage and gas appliances is worth more than it costs.

Coastal exposure does the rest. Guttering, flashings and roof sheeting corrode faster along this stretch than inland, and older fibro and weatherboard homes here often still have original roof plumbing well past its service life.

Summer brings the opposite problem - occupancy spikes, and hot water systems sized for two people suddenly running for eight. That's when an ageing unit gives up.