Essential Maintenance Jobs For Spring

As the days get longer, warmer and lighter, now’s the time to give your home some love. Fixing any issues now means that you’ll be able to enjoy a stress-free summer.

Keeping your home well maintained will help to prevent unforeseen breakdowns, but having Home Emergency Cover in place can give you peace of mind knowing that in the event of an emergency, your home will be covered.

Check your roof

One of the easiest ways to complete your maintenance is to start at the top of your property and work down.

Your roof is the most exposed part of your house and subjected to cold weather, storms and more year after year. Look for cracked or loose tiles and slates and get a builder to fix any faults to prevent water damage occurring.

Make sure your gutters are clear of any tree debris. Clogged gutters can quickly result in water damage to your home, with rainwater running directly down the walls if your guttering is blocked. Any resulting water damage can be expensive to correct.

Fix any plumbing and heating issues

It may feel odd to check your heating while the weather is getting warmer, but spring is the best time to check and fix any heating and plumbing issues. This includes having your boiler serviced, your pipes insulated and bleeding your radiators.

Your boiler will need to be serviced by a Gas Safe or OFTEC registered professional, but you can tackle any simple issues to do with the boiler’s efficiency yourself, if you know how.

You can follow our guides for bleeding radiators, getting your boiler pilot light to ignite and topping up your boiler pressure.

Protect your home from pests

While the weather’s milder, it’s a good time to make sure you’ve pest-proofed your home. Mice, rats and even wasps tend to search for warm, dry places to nest once the weather turns colder and so fixing any problems now protects your home against future infestations.

Rats and mice can chew through your soft furnishings as well as your woodwork along with pipes, brickwork and through electrical wiring, which can damage appliances, affect your electrical supply and even start fires.

Make sure you seal up any potential entry points and bear in mind that mice only need a 5mm gap to get in. You can also remove potential nesting sites by keeping your garden clean and tidy and cover any household waste by making sure you close dustbin lids and cover any compost heaps.

Wasps’ nests are commonly found in the eaves or loft but there are things you can do to protect against these too. Keep your bins tightly closed and away from the house, removing any food sources; especially things that are sweet. Certain herbs, like thyme, repel wasps naturally so use these in your garden, near the house or anywhere you may sit.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301 or get a quote online.