Property maintenance tips!
Here is our complete property maintenance guide for all seasons to help landlords or home owners!
WINTER!
1. Trim your trees
With the leaves gone, you can assess whether trees or shrubs surrounding the property could do with pruning. If there are branches that are looking unsteady and might pose a health and safety hazard, it is better to cut them back now in a controlled way than have them come down in bad weather. Before carrying out any work it is also worth checking whether the tree is subject to a tree preservation order, particularly if the property is located in a conservation area.
2. Boost insulation
Draught proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to insulate and save energy; check for any gaps in windows and doors and use sealant to help keep the cold weather out and moisture levels down. A quarter of the heat from a property is lost through an uninsulated roof, so don’t forget to check the loft. Heat will always flow from warm areas to cooler ones so make sure your tenants encourage the circulation of heat around the property. They will appreciate the reduction in heating costs, and you will be helping to protect your property from condensation and damp.
3. Lag water tanks and pipes
Lagging water tanks and pipes reduces the amount of heat lost, so it costs less to heat water and hot water stays hotter for longer. Lagging pipes also helps stop them freezing and bursting when the temperature drops. Hot water cylinder jackets, pipe insulation and radiator reflector panels on external walls are all low cost, easy to install and will reduce the escape of heat.
4. Communicate with your tenants
Offering your tenants helpful advice on how to stay safe and warm can strengthen your relationship and help ensure your tenants are taking care of themselves and your property. Ask tenants if there is anything they are having problems with – any drafts or dripping taps for example. Even a trickle of water could freeze and block pipes.
SPRING!
1. Turn on the taps
If you have outdoor taps, turn them on to see how much water is coming out. If it is very little, there is a chance that the pipes could have been damaged during the cold weather.
2. Inspect the wood
Warmer weather after the onslaught of winter provides perfect conditions for wood rot. If there are areas of the property where protective paint has come away, look for rotting wood and get any affected areas seen to before they deteriorate further.
3. Bolster your fence
If the fence has taken a battering during winter, get it summer ready now by carrying out repairs.
4. Watch the cracks
It is not just the roads that suffer damage in cold weather. Have a look around your rental property’s patio and driveway to see if there are any cracks. Minor ones could be easy to fix yourself, preventing them from turning into unsightly crevices which might present a trip hazard to your tenants.
SUMMER!
1. Bleed the radiators
Trapped air bubbles reduce the efficiency of your heating system and can also lead to damp spots. Bleeding the radiators when they are unlikely to be in use can get rid of these air bubbles, so they are ready to fire on all cylinders come winter.
2. Clear drains
It often takes a drain stuffed with dead leaves to spur a clear out. But how many times do you see them becoming overwhelmed in the midst of a summer downpour? Give the drains on your rental property the best chance to do their job by seeing to them all year round.
3. Get your boiler serviced
Avoid the desperate phone call from your tenants informing you their boiler has gone on the blink four months down the line by getting a qualified engineer to service it in plenty of time. Doing this in summer means that if there is a problem, it can be fixed well in time for the winter.
4. Get painting
Exterior paint does not just improve a property’s kerb appeal if you are between tenants, but it also protects window frames and doors. Spells of warm, dry weather are the best time to do this as allowing the paint to bond to wood that is not damp will make the finish more durable.
AUTUMN!
1. Wrap up the summer
Cover or store untreated wooden furniture you don’t want to see damaged and fold away the hosepipe, being sure to empty it of any residual water. If you have any delicate plants, now is the time to bring them indoors before they are damaged by the first frost. Clear any fallen leaves and other debris and don’t forget to plant bulbs for a spring display next year!
2. Check outdoor lights
Thanks to the clock change, long nights are swiftly dropped on us, which can be a shock to the system. Make the evenings easier for your tenants when they are trying to find their house keys in the dark by replacing any bulbs that have gone from outdoor lights.
3. Clear your gutters
This is a job best left to late autumn when the majority of leaves have been shed but before it gets so cold that water will freeze in the gutters, causing them to pull away from the building or bursting your pipes. Icicles may be pretty, but they are also potentially dangerous.
4. Take a look at your roof
While you are up there, see if you notice any slipped or broken tiles, weathered flashing or cracked caulking. It will be easier to get someone in to fix any problems now than a couple of months down the line when daylight and fair weather are in short supply.
We take care of the legalities of lease agreement and collect electronic signatures. If you do not have the time or inclination to deal with the letting & management just leave it all to us with our Full Management package.