Home Maintenance Checklist for Every Season

Most homeowners only think about maintenance when something breaks. By then, a small problem has often become an expensive one. A leaking gutter that goes unnoticed for a year can cause damp and rotten fascias. A boiler that misses its annual service is more likely to break down in the middle of January. Spending a couple of hours each season checking the basics can save you thousands in the long run.

Spring (March to May)

Spring is the time to assess any damage from winter and get your home ready for the warmer months.

Check your roof from the ground using binoculars. Look for slipped, cracked, or missing tiles or slates. Check the ridge tiles along the top of the roof for any that have come loose. Look at the flashings around chimneys and where the roof meets walls. If you spot anything, get a roofer to take a closer look.

Clean your gutters. Over winter, leaves, moss, and debris build up and can cause blockages. Blocked gutters overflow and water runs down your walls, causing damp and staining. You can clean accessible gutters yourself with a ladder and gloves, or hire someone to do it. In the North East, gutter cleaning typically costs £50 to £150 for a standard house.

Check your external walls for cracks, damaged pointing, or patches of damp. Small cracks in render can be filled yourself. Damaged pointing between bricks should be repointed before water gets in. This is especially important for older stone-built properties, which are common across the North East.

Test your outside taps and check for any burst or leaking pipes that may have frozen over winter. Service your lawnmower and garden tools ready for the growing season.

Summer (June to August)

Summer is ideal for exterior maintenance because the weather is dry and you can work outside comfortably.

Paint or stain any external woodwork that needs it, including window frames, doors, fence panels, and sheds. Preparation is the key to a good finish. Sand down flaking paint, fill any cracks, and apply a primer before the topcoat.

Check your windows and doors for drafts, sticking, or damaged seals. Replacing worn window seals is cheap and makes a noticeable difference to heat retention in winter. Oil hinges and locks while you are at it.

If you have a flat roof on an extension or garage, check it for cracks, blisters, or pooling water. Small repairs done in dry weather are much cheaper than emergency fixes in winter.

Check your driveway and paths for trip hazards. Sunken paving, cracked concrete, or loose slabs should be repaired before someone trips. Pressure wash paths, patios, and driveways to remove algae and dirt.

Service your boiler. Yes, in summer. Engineers are less busy, you can often get a better price, and if any parts need ordering it will not leave you without heating.

Autumn (September to November)

Autumn is about preparing your home for winter. The weather is about to get worse, so get ahead of it.

Clean your gutters again. Falling leaves in autumn are the biggest cause of blockages. If you have trees overhanging your roof, consider fitting gutter guards to reduce the buildup.

Check your heating system. Turn your heating on before you actually need it to make sure all radiators are working. Bleed any radiators that have cold spots at the top. If your boiler has not been serviced in the last 12 months, book a service now before the winter rush.

Check your loft insulation. The recommended depth is 270mm. If yours is thinner, topping it up is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce your heating bills. You can do this yourself with rolls of mineral wool from any DIY store.

Lag any exposed pipes in the loft, garage, or outside to prevent them freezing in cold weather. Pipe lagging costs very little and takes minutes to fit, but a burst pipe can cause thousands of pounds of damage.

Check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace the batteries if they are not hardwired. Test them by pressing the test button. Replace the entire unit if it is more than 10 years old.

Winter (December to February)

Winter is not the time for big maintenance projects. Focus on keeping things running and responding to any issues quickly.

Keep an eye on your roof after storms and high winds. Check for slipped tiles or damage from the ground. If you notice anything, get it fixed promptly before water gets into the roof space.

If temperatures drop below freezing, make sure your heating comes on at least once a day, even if you are away from home. Set it to come on for an hour in the morning and evening at a minimum. This keeps the pipes warm and reduces the risk of a burst.

Know where your stopcock is and make sure it works. If a pipe bursts, you need to be able to turn off the water supply quickly. Stopcocks that have not been turned for years can seize up. Turn yours a quarter turn every few months to keep it moving freely.

Clear leaves and debris from drains and gullies around your property. Standing water and ice can cause slip hazards and can damage foundations if it pools against the house.

When to call a professional

Some maintenance you can do yourself. Cleaning gutters, painting fences, bleeding radiators, and replacing smoke alarm batteries are all straightforward DIY jobs. But anything involving gas, electrics, structural work, or working at height should be left to qualified professionals. A Gas Safe engineer for boiler work, a qualified electrician for electrical issues, and an experienced roofer for anything on the roof. The cost of hiring a professional is always less than the cost of fixing a DIY disaster.