When you are living in your own property, rented or bought, it’s important you perform regular checks around your home, to ensure it’s looked after and reduce the chances of things going wrong – the last thing you want is a leak from the roof or animals getting through a hole in the flooring. Performing regular checks should hopefully save you money in the long run, as if you find an issue before it gets bad, you will hopefully be able to fix it yourself. If left unattended over time, because you haven’t been doing regular checks, it could get worse and you require an expert to come in and fix it for you.
Checking things can be a pain, so we suggest creating a schedule on your calendar app which will send you notifications when you should complete these checks. For example, you should be checking your roof tiles every couple of months and walking around, looking for damp once or twice a month. The more of a routine it becomes, the quicker it will be to do the checks and for it to become second nature, instead of feeling like a chore.
To start you off with your checklist, below we have put together a list of five different checks you should be doing on your property. Keep on reading to learn more about them and why they are important.
Check for water leaks
Water leaks are a pain as they can cause a lot of damage, especially if water starts leaking onto your expensive items, like your TV, Bed or Laptop. When you get a leak, this can cause dampness, which can lead to insects or rodents getting into your home (you may need rodent bait, if this happens). You should regularly check for leaks and install leak detectors in your home, which will send you notifications, should a leak happen but you are not aware of it. Fixing a leak will often require you to get a professional in and if a lot of damage has occurred, you can claim for this on your household insurance.
Check for damp
Damp is a simple check and one that you can quickly do. Simply walk around your home and check the ceiling and walls for any dampness that may occur, especially during the colder months. When things get damp, this can cause damage to your paintwork, your wallpaper and your carpet, which can be a pain to fix, if left too long unattended. If you haven’t got one, a dehumidifier can be very useful at stopping dampness as it absorbs the water inside your home. It’s especially useful if you are regularly cleaning your clothes and doing the washing.
Check your roof tiles
This check isn’t the easiest as you will need a ladder, but every six months, it’s advised you climb up onto your roof and check your roof tiles for any damage or looseness. If you spot any damaged tiles, you may need to replace them, as loose or damaged tiles can mean water will leak through into your property. This can be extremely bad, as the water may start dripping through your ceiling, into your home.
Check your guttering
Checking your guttering is very important as if you don’t your pipes can get blocked and start to leak over. The longer they are left unattended, the more likely it is to affect your brickwork or start to seek into your home. During the winter months, this is when your guttering can get damaged the most and is at risk of blockages, as the wind and rain can push dirt into it. You should aim to clean your guttering once or twice a year, so at least this task isn’t too regular.
We hope we have given you some useful pointers on regular checks you should be doing on your property. As we mentioned above, it may feel like a chore to do the checks regularly, but it will hopefully save you money in the long run. The last thing you want is for something small like a wobbly tile to end up causing a lot of damage to your home due to it becoming too loose and causing a leak.
What checks do you regularly do and do you split the check with your partner? Do you perform all the checks on the list above? Is there anything missing from our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.
