Spring property maintenance checks to carry out on your home

With temperatures warming and signs of spring appearing around every corner, now is a great time to do some maintenance checks on your home. These are just as valid whether you’re a homeowner or a tenant, because if you’re a tenant and you spot the beginnings of an issue, the sooner you report it the easier it will be to fix, without causing further problems.

Check your taps and pipes

Despite it having been a relatively mild winter, this is still a great one. Check the outside taps and pipes! Water expands when it freezes, and if pipes are left uninsulated it can cause them to burst over winter.

Check for any signs of leaks, and if you find any get it checked out or report it ASAP to avoid a catastrophe later on.

Roof maintenance

Stormy winter weather can loosen roof tiles, causing leaks that may or may not be obvious to you. This is why it’s a great idea to spend a bit of time looking up and checking the roof for any gaps or damaged areas.

Unseen leaks can cause havoc when left undetected, so it’s an important one. As well as looking as much as you can (safely) on the outside, if you can get into your roof space with the light turned off, it’ll make it obvious if there are any places you can see the light outside. You might pick damage up this way easier than looking from the outside.

Guttering

This is an often forgotten piece of household maintenance, but guttering can fill up incredibly quickly with moss and debris - especially if you live in an area with trees. Cleaning your guttering out twice a year (or getting it cleaned by someone else twice a year) is a surefire way to prevent overflowing gutters causing wet walls, and even in serious cases, damp inside.

Windows

If you have double glazing, it’s a great time to wander around and inspect each one for any sign of blowing. This is when condensation appears between the glazing layers. The difference between the temperatures inside your home and outside of your home this time of year makes it much easier to spot.

It’s also a good time to check the frames, especially if you have any wooden parts to your windows. Wood can rot over time, and contribute to damp problems without you even realising.

A general garden tidy up

Winter is a time when we all just want to snuggle up indoors - and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The seasonal weather is bound to leave debris, make paving slabs look a bit grotty, and there’s often dead foliage to remove in order to allow new plants to grow.

If you choose a lovely sunny day, a garden sort out does wonders to rid yourself of the winter blues. It’s also a fantastic excuse to sit with tea and cake, and survey all of your hard work!