10 Home Maintenance Tasks That Prevent £5,000 Repairs

One of my mentors used to say:

"Always teach others. And one day, when you're my age, you'll understand why to teach and share what you know."

I didn't understand that when I was younger. I do now.

I've spent 20 years being called to expensive emergencies that were completely preventable. The £2,800 damp treatment that a £30 gutter clean would've prevented. The £1,400 ceiling replacement from a leak that warning signs showed for months.

Every time, I think: if someone had just explained this to them, they'd have saved thousands.

So that's what this is. The maintenance tasks that actually matter, explained simply.

TASK 1: Clean Gutters Twice Yearly (Spring & Autumn)

Time needed: 2-3 hours

Cost: £30-50 in materials (or £80-120 professional clean)

Prevents: £2,000-£5,000 in damp and structural damage

The story that taught me this:

Landlord in Sydenham ignored his gutters for 3 years. "They're fine," he said. "I can see them from the ground."

I got called because his tenant reported damp in the bedroom. When I arrived, the exterior wall was saturated. The damp had spread 2 meters along the wall inside.

I went up the ladder. The gutter was completely blocked with moss, leaves, and even a small tree sapling growing in it. Water had been overflowing straight down the wall for probably 18 months.

The damage:

• External wall saturated

• Internal plaster blown (needs replacing)

• Damp spread to floor joists

• Carpet and underlay ruined

• Furniture damaged

Cost to fix:

• Gutter clean: £80

• Damp treatment: £1,200

• Plastering: £800

• Redecorating: £400

• New carpet: £350

• Total: £2,830

Cost to prevent: £80 gutter clean twice yearly (£160/year)

How to do it yourself:

Tools you need:

• Ladder (stable, tall enough)

• Gutter scoop (£12, Amazon)

• Bucket on ladder hook (£8, Amazon)

• Garden gloves (£5)

• Hose pipe

Process:

1. Set ladder safely (one rung above gutter height)

2. Starting at downpipe, scoop out debris

3. Work along gutter, filling bucket

4. Dispose of debris (compost it)

5. Flush gutter with hose

6. Check downpipe flows freely

7. Check all gutter brackets secure

When to do it:

• Spring (April/May): After trees finish flowering

• Autumn (October/November): After leaves fall

Red flags to check:

• Is gutter sagging anywhere? (Broken brackets)

• Any cracks or holes in gutter?

• Downpipe blocked? (Overflow test with hose)

• Green moss growing in gutter? (Needs cleaning)

My recommendation:

If you're not comfortable on ladders, pay £80-120 for professional clean twice yearly. That £160-240/year is cheaper than one damp repair.

TASK 2: Re-Seal bathroom & Kitchen silicone annually

Time needed: 2-3 hours per room

Cost: £15-25 in materials

Prevents: £800-£3,000 in leak damage

Why this matters more than people think:

Customer in Dulwich ignored cracked bathroom silicone for "ages"—her words. Water had been slowly seeping behind the bath for probably 18 months.

When I lifted the bathroom floor (investigating a leak to the room below), the joists were rotten. The subfloor was like sponge. The ceiling below was saturated.

Cost to fix:

• New bathroom floor structure: £1,200

• Ceiling replacement below: £600

• Full bathroom re-seal: £80

• Total: £1,880

Cost to prevent: £20 silicone tube and 2 hours work

How to do it yourself:

Tools needed:

• CT1 Silicone (£12, Amazon) - Best sealant I've used in 20 years

• Silicone remover tool (£6, Amazon)

• Stanley knife

• White spirit

• Clean rags

Process:

-Remove old silicone completely (knife + remover tool)

-Clean surfaces with white spirit

1. Let dry, or (use an hair dryer to help dry it more quick)

-Fill the bathtub with water before starting to apply the silicone.

1. -Mask edges with tape (optional but neater)

2. -Apply new silicone in continuous bead

3. -Smooth with, silicone sealant finishing tool ( £10-£15 Amazon)

4. -Remove tape before it dries

5. -Leave 12 hours before using shower/bath

Where to seal:

• Bath edges (where bath meets tiles/walls)

• Shower tray edges

• Around bath taps

• Around sink

• Kitchen sink edges

• Kitchen worktop edges (where meets wall)

Warning signs it needs doing:

• Black spots on silicone (mould growing)

• Cracks visible in silicone

• Silicone pulling away from wall/surface

• Water pooling where silicone meets wall

My recommendation:

Check silicone every 6 months. If you see cracks or mould, redo it. Don't wait for it to leak.

TASK 3: Test smoke alarms monthly

Time needed: 2 minutes

Cost: £0

Prevents: Death. Seriously.

I shouldn't need to explain this one, but I'm constantly shocked by how many properties have dead smoke alarms.

What to do:

-Press test button on each alarm

-If it doesn't beep loudly, change battery

-If still doesn't work, replace alarm (£15, Screwfix)

-Do this on the same day each month (I do mine on the 1st)

Legal requirement for landlords:

• Working smoke alarm on every floor

• Tested at start of every tenancy

• You can be fined £5,000+ if tenant dies and alarm wasn't working

My recommendation:

Put a reminder in your phone. "Test smoke alarms - 1st of every month." Takes 2 minutes. Could save lives.

TASK 4: Bleed radiators before winter (September/October)

Time needed: 30 minutes

Cost: £3 (radiator key)

Prevents: £200-£4,000 in boiler damage and burst pipes

This is the task that would've saved that landlord £4,200.

How to tell if radiators need bleeding:

• Top of radiator cold, bottom hot

• Radiators take ages to heat up

• Some radiators don't heat at all

• Boiler pressure keeps dropping

How to do it:

Tools needed:

• Radiator key (£3, Amazon or any hardware store)

• Old towel

• Small container

Process:

-Turn heating on, let radiators heat

-Turn heating off

-Find bleed valve (small square nut at top corner of radiator)

-Hold towel under valve

-Insert key, turn anti-clockwise slowly

-Hear hissing (that's air escaping)

-When water starts coming out, close valve quickly

-Wipe up any water

-Repeat for every radiator in house

-Check boiler pressure (should be 1-1.5 bar)

-Top up if needed (check boiler manual)

When to do it:

• Every September/October before heating season starts

• Or anytime radiator isn't heating properly

Why this prevents expensive damage:

Air in system causes:

• Boiler works harder (wears out faster)

• Pressure drops

• System tries to compensate

• Pipes can freeze if pressure too low

• Frozen pipes burst = thousands in damage

TASK 5: Check Loft Insulation Depth (Once, Then Every 5 Years)

Time needed: 10 minutes

Cost: £0 to check, £400-800 to add if needed

Saves: £500-1,500 per year on heating bills

Story from Croydon:

Customer complaining about £250/month gas bills in winter. "Boiler must be broken."

I checked the boiler. Fine. I went in the loft.

50mm of insulation. About the thickness of a magazine. Building Regs say you need 270mm—thickness of a shoebox.

He was heating the sky.

Cost to fix: £600 for proper loft insulation

Saving: £1,200/year on heating bills

Payback period: 6 months

How to check:

-Go in loft safely (use loft ladder if you have one)

-Take torch and ruler/tape measure

-Measure insulation depth between joists

-Check in several places (might vary)

What you should see:

• Minimum: 270mm (current Building Regs)

• Older properties might have 100-150mm (not enough)

• Some old properties have 0-50mm (terrible)

If it's less than 200mm:

Get quotes for topping up. It's one of the few home improvements that pays for itself in under 2 years through reduced heating bills.

DIY option:

• Loft insulation rolls (£15-25 each, Wickes/Screwfix)

• You need about 15-20 rolls for average loft

• Lay between joists, then across joists (270mm total depth)

• Total cost DIY: £300-500

Professional install: £600-800

TASK 6: Service Boiler Annually (Before Winter)

Time needed: 1 hour (engineer does it)

Cost: £80-120

Prevents: £800-£2,500 emergency boiler repairs/replacement

Legal requirement for landlords: Annual gas safety certificate

Why it matters:

Customer in Norwood ignored boiler service for 4 years. "Seems fine."

Boiler broke down in January (coldest week of year). Engineer found:

• Heat exchanger cracked (dangerous—carbon monoxide risk)

• Flame sensor failed

• Pressure vessel failed

• Several other components corroded

Not repairable. Needed new boiler: £2,200 including installation

If he'd had it serviced annually, most of those problems would've been caught early when they were fixable.

What annual service includes:

• Safety checks (carbon monoxide, gas leaks)

• Clean burner and heat exchanger

• Check all components

• Test pressure and seals

• Issue gas safety certificate

When to do it:

• September/October (before winter)

• Same time every year

Cost vs benefit:

• Annual service: £80-120

• Emergency callout in winter: £150-250

• Boiler replacement: £1,500-3,000

My recommendation:

Book your annual service in September every year. Use same engineer if possible (they get to know your system).

TASK 7: Clean Bathroom Extractor Fan Grilles (Quarterly)

Time needed: 10 minutes per fan

Cost: £0 (just cleaning)

Prevents: £150-£300 fan replacement, £500-£2,800 mould treatment

Why people ignore this:

It's invisible. The fan's behind a grille. You can't see it's blocked until it stops working.

Then you get mould.

How to do it:

-Turn fan off at switch

-Unscrew grille cover (usually 2-4 screws)

-Wash grille in sink with washing-up liquid

-Vacuum inside fan opening carefully (don't touch blades)

-Wipe inside fan with damp cloth

-Dry grille completely

-Refit grille

When to do it:

• Every 3 months minimum

• Monthly if you have heavy cooking smells or steam

Warning signs it needs cleaning:

• Fan sounds louder than usual

• Can't feel much airflow

• Bathroom condensation increased

• Grille looks dusty/dirty

My recommendation:

Put a reminder in phone: "Clean bathroom fan - 1st weekend of Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct"

Takes 10 minutes. Prevents hundreds in mould problems.

TASK 8: Oil door hinges & locks (Twice Yearly)

Time needed: 15 minutes

Cost: £6 (WD-40)

Prevents: £95-£180 in door adjustment or lock replacement

Seems trivial until:

Door starts sticking. Gets worse. Eventually won't close properly. Forces latch. Lock mechanism jams. Can't lock door. Emergency locksmith: £150.

All because hinges weren't oiled.

How to do it:

Tools needed:

• WD-40 or 3-in-1 Oil (£6, anywhere)

• Clean cloth

Process:

-Open door

-Spray small amount of oil on each hinge pin

-Open and close door several times (works oil in)

-Wipe excess

-Spray small amount into lock mechanism

-Insert key, turn several times

-Wipe excess

Every door in the property:

• Front door

• Back door

• Internal doors (especially bathroom—humid)

• Garage door

• Gate hinges

When to do it:

• Spring (April)

• Autumn (October)

TASK 9: Check for and fill exterior cracks (Annually)

Time needed: 1-2 hours

Cost: £15-30 in filler

Prevents: £500-£2,000 in water damage

What I see constantly:

Small crack in exterior render or mortar. Gets ignored. Water gets in. Freezes in winter. Expands. Makes crack bigger. More water gets in. Eventually, whole section of render falls off.

Cost to fix properly: £800-1,500 for re-rendering section of wall

Cost to prevent: £5 tube of exterior filler and 30 minutes

How to do it:

-Walk around entire exterior of property

-Look for any cracks in render, mortar, or brickwork

-Mark them (chalk or take photos)

-Buy exterior flexible filler (£5-10, Wickes)

-Clean out cracks (brush or vacuum)

-Fill according to product instructions

-Smooth and finish

-Let cure 24 hours

-Paint if needed to match

When to check:

• Spring (March/April) before summer

• Check after any severe weather

Also check:

• Window frames for gaps (fill with frame sealant)

• Door frames

• Where pipes enter building

• Around vents

TASK 10: Check and clear bathroom/kitchen extractor fan external vents (Annually)

Time needed: 20 minutes

Cost: £0

Prevents: £200-£400 in fan replacement or ventilation problems

What happens:

External vent gets blocked by leaves, bird nests, spiders, or dirt. Fan tries to work against blockage. Eventually motor burns out. Or backdraft shutter gets stuck open (cold air floods back in winter).

How to check:

-Go outside

-Find external vent (usually round grille on wall)

-Look at it with torch

-Is it blocked with anything?

-Can you see through the grille?

-Turn fan on inside—can you feel air coming out?

How to clean:

-Remove external grille (usually clips or screws)

-Clean grille with brush and water

-Check inside duct—any blockages?

-Remove any debris you can reach

-Check backdraft shutter opens and closes freely

-Refit grille

When to do it:

• Once a year minimum

• Spring is good (after winter, before summer)

Make this simple for yourself:

JANUARY:

• Test smoke alarms (1st of month)

• Clean extractor fans (quarterly)

FEBRUARY:

• Test smoke alarms

MARCH:

• Test smoke alarms

• Check exterior for cracks

• Oil door hinges and locks (spring service)

APRIL:

• Test smoke alarms

• Clean extractor fans (quarterly)

• Clean gutters (spring clean)

MAY:

• Test smoke alarms

• Check loft insulation depth

JUNE:

• Test smoke alarms

JULY:

• Test smoke alarms

• Clean extractor fans (quarterly)

AUGUST:

• Test smoke alarms

SEPTEMBER:

• Test smoke alarms

• Bleed all radiators

• Book annual boiler service

OCTOBER:

• Test smoke alarms

• Clean extractor fans (quarterly)

• Clean gutters (autumn clean)

• Oil door hinges and locks (autumn service)

• Re-seal bathroom/kitchen silicone (annually)

• Check and clear external vents

NOVEMBER:

• Test smoke alarms

DECEMBER:

• Test smoke alarms

Annual cost if you do everything yourself:

• Gutter cleaning supplies: £30

• Silicone: £12

• Radiator key: £3 (one-time)

• WD-40: £6

• Exterior filler: £15

• Smoke alarm batteries: £10

• Boiler service: £100

• Loft insulation check: £0

Total per year: £176 if DIY

vs.

Cost of ignoring them (based on real jobs I've done):

• Burst pipe from air-locked system: £4,200

• Damp from blocked gutters: £2,800

• Leak damage from failed silicone: £1,800

• Boiler replacement (no service): £2,200

• Mould treatment (poor ventilation): £1,500

Total potential disasters: £12,500

Spend £176/year to avoid potentially £12,500 in repairs.

Makes sense to me.

Basic Maintenance Toolkit (£100 total):

1. Gutter Scoop (£12, Amazon)

2. Bucket Hook for Ladder (£8, Amazon)

3. CT1 Silicone (£12, Amazon) - Best sealant

4. Silicone Remover Tool (£6, Amazon)

5. Radiator Key (£3, Amazon)

6. WD-40 (£6, Amazon)

7. Tacklife Moisture Meter (£20, Amazon) - Check for damp

8. Good LED Torch (£25, Amazon) - For lofts and dark spaces

9. Screwdriver Set (Wera, £35, Amazon) - Buy once, last forever

Everything you need: £127

These tools will last 10+ years. Cost per year: £12.70

I'm all for DIY, but some things need professionals:

Always call a professional for:

• Gas boiler work (illegal to DIY unless you're Gas Safe)

• Electrical work beyond changing bulbs (Part P regulations)

• Roof work above ground floor (safety)

• Structural cracks or subsidence

• Anything you're unsure about

You can DIY:

• Bleeding radiators

• Cleaning gutters (if comfortable on ladder)

• Replacing silicone

• Oiling hinges

• Most tasks in this article

My rule: If you're asking "should I call someone?", the answer is probably yes.

Own rental properties? I offer annual Property Health Checks specifically for landlords:

What's included:

• Full property inspection (45-60 minutes)

• Check all 10 maintenance tasks in this article

• Identify deferred maintenance

• Check for tenant-caused damage

• Compliance check (smoke alarms, gas safety, electrical)

• Written report with photos

• Priority list of what needs doing

• Cost estimates

• £100 per property

Why landlords use this:

Catches small problems before they become expensive. One landlord I work with has 8 properties. I check all 8 every summer. In the last 3 years, I've caught:

• Early roof leak (fixed for £200 before it damaged ceiling)

• Failed extractor fan (replaced for £150 before mould developed)

• Blocked gutter (cleaned for £60 before it caused damp)

• Boiler pressure issue (fixed for £0 by bleeding radiators)

Total saved: Probably £4,000+ in avoided major repairs

His annual cost: £800 (£100 × 8 properties)

ROI: 5:1

📧 Email: Lovelofters@gmail.com

🌐 Book: lovelofters.com/landlord-inspections

My mentor used to say:

"Quality takes a little extra time, but it leaves a lasting impression. The care you put into work today shapes how people see you tomorrow."

He was talking about paid work, but it applies to maintaining your home too.

10 simple tasks. Most take under an hour. Total annual cost under £200 if you DIY.

Could save you £5,000-£15,000 in avoided repairs.

Don't wait for the expensive disaster. Spend 2 hours a month preventing it.

Your future self will thank you when your neighbors are dealing with burst pipes and you're not.