Like a regular health check-up, a home maintenance plan and schedule can help you stay on top of your property’s upkeep. From checking your home’s plumbing or appliances to servicing the boiler, keeping to a to-do list will help prevent issues and save money.
Every home is different, with London properties ranging from listed buildings to new-build apartments. However, for all of us our home is one of our biggest investments and taking care of it properly creates a living space that both looks and works better.
This home maintenance checklist should help you schedule seasonal maintenance and repairs, and keep on top of a few regular monthly tasks. Many of these tasks you can do yourself, but if any go beyond your skill level then consider hiring a professional from CanCan to help.
Essential monthly home maintenance planner
Regularly inspecting your home and completing a few small home improvement tasks will keep your maintenance schedule on track and your maintenance expenses down.
- Check boiler pressure
- Use the valve or filling loop to increase or decrease the pressure to be within the recommended limits (normally between 1 and 2 bar). If your boiler continues to lose pressure or build pressure then immediately call a GAS-SAFE engineer to examine the issue.
- Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
- Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are life-saving technologies and easy to test with the click of a button. If they are not working, immediately change the battery or invest in a replacement.
- Remove lint from your tumble dryer
- The build up of lint in tumble dryers is estimated to cause over 1,000 house fires in the UK each year. Regularly check the lint drawer to avoid any build up.
- Top up the rinse aid and salt in your dishwasher
- Dishwashers clean better when topped up with rinse aid and dishwasher salt and regular appliance maintenance will mean they will last longer before needing to be replaced.
- Run a dishwasher clean cycle
- Modern dishwashers have a self-cleaning cycle which should be regularly run to keep the machine running efficiently and effectively
- Run a washing machine clean cycle
- Running the self-clean on your washing machine can help prevent the build up of odours and mould within the machine
- Do a little garden maintenance
- Small tasks around the garden done regularly will make keeping it tidy a much less daunting task
- Clean windows inside and out
- Dirty windows can make a property look unloved
- Inspect electrical cords for wear and tear
- If extension leads of appliance cables have split or torn, replace them as soon as possible to avoid any risks of electrical fires.
- Repair as you go and do not let home maintenance jobs build up
- Small home repair tasks around the home can quickly build up and become an overwhelming task to approach.
Spring home maintenance checklist
Beyond a simple spring clean, these home upkeep tasks will make sure everything in your home is in its best shape and looking refreshed:
- Check your roof and chimney for any leaks, cracks, missing tiles, or moss growth
- If you have access to your attic, during or shortly after a rain storm check to see if there are any damp patches or drips of water coming through the roof.
- Zoom in on your phone’s camera or use a pair of binoculars to examine your roof to check for any missing tiles that may have become dislodged in the wind or any patches of moss growth, which is generally a sign of damp problems.
- Use the same method to look at your chimney stack to see if there is any pointing missing or if there are any major cracks in the render or in the chimney pots.
- Clear your gutters and check for leaks
- Clear any moss, leaves, or other debris from your gutters so that the rain water can safely flow away.
- During a rainstorm, check to see if there are any areas where your gutters are overflowing or water is dripping through the guttering which will imply a crack or a broken connection
- If you have air bricks, make sure they are clear and unblocked
- Air bricks allow for air to circulate beneath a suspended timber floor and can help reduce damp. These can often become blocked by gravel, stones, or other debris and should be kept clear
- Check window frames and doors for damage or rot
- Repairing a small area of wood rot on a window frame is significantly cheaper than replacing the entire window if the problem spreads
- Move and clean beneath your large furniture items like sofas and chests of drawers
- Check for any possible signs of damp or rodent droppings that should be addressed
- Rodents can chew through wires and cause a variety of damage around a property. Any signs of a rodent infestation should be tackled immediately
- Cycle your clothes
- Put away your winter clothes and protect them from potential moth infestations by spraying them or placing them in air-tight bags where appropriate
- Clear out your property
- Spring is the perfect time to have a clear out, selling unwanted items on eBay or Vinted, taking items to charity shops, or disposing of them at the tip
- Get your garden ready for summer
- Any plants or flowers that you might want to bloom in summer will likely need to be planted in early or mid springtime
Summer home maintenance checklist
As the sun comes out and the weather warms up it is time to enjoy your garden, so follow this list to make sure your home and garden are looking their best.
- Clean your garden furniture
- You want your garden furniture clean and looking its best for any outdoor summer entertaining
- Clean patios and jetwash decking
- Moss and other debris can build up on patios and decking over autumn and winter, which can make them slippy and look tired. Jetwashing them will quickly refresh your garden for summer
- Repair and paint any external woodwork including fencing, window frames and doors
- The summer weather offers the best opportunity for wood paint to dry
- Check your exterior paintwork and patch up flaking areas
- Summer offers the most reliable weather and so the best opportunity to repaint any external areas with a reduced risk of rain.
- Cut back any large trees or shrubs that are close to your home
- This will let more light into your property and reduce the risk of roots causing subsidence.
- Trim any climbing plants
- Cut them back from growing across windows or guttering
- Check the seals around your sinks, showers, and baths
- Even minor leaks can be costly to fix if left for too long
Autumn home maintenance checklist
Autumn’s relatively mild weather offers you the opportunity to get your house ready for when the temperatures drop later in the year.
- Get your boiler serviced
- Get your chimney swept
- If you have a working fireplace or wood-burning stove, or else make sure it is capped and blocked off
- Bleed your radiators
- Air can build up in radiators which can create cold patches on radiators, make them slower to heat up, and less efficiently heat your home
- Clean and store away your garden furniture
- Garden furniture should be kept away from the elements when not in use
- Clear your gutters and check there are no cracks or leaks after the autumn leaf drop
- Blocked gutters can cause water to pour down the walls of your property, causing damp and other damage
- Clear leaves or other debris that has gathered around your external walls
- The build up of debris around the base of your external walls can cause damp
- Insulate any external pipes or taps
- Prevent them freezing and bursting during the cold winter months
- Trim tree branches
- Avoid loose or dead branches coming down in strong winds
- Test your window locks, door locks, and security lights
- Repair or replace the locks and lights where required
Winter home maintenance checklist
Winter’s freezing temperatures can cause a number of problems to properties from frozen pipes to blown render. To avoid the need to call an expensive emergency plumber during a snow storm, check off these winter home repair items off your checklist:
- Regularly open your windows and use extractor fans in your kitchen and bathrooms to keep the air circulating
- Damp air trapped within properties is the most common cause of condensation that could lead to damp
- Check your pipes for leaks after particularly cold weather
- Even insulated pipes can burst during very cold snaps, and any leaks should be addressed immediately to avoid problems from damp
- Upgrade to a smart thermostat and check your set up
- Smart thermostats let you manage the temperature of your property room-by-room or only when people are using rooms. This helps you save energy and cut down on your bills
Whether you are looking for a heating engineer to service your boiler, a plumber to replace some pipes, or an electrician to replace some damaged wiring, you can find the right trader for the job on CanCan.