Summer property maintenance tips

After a mixed spring weather wise, summer is almost here and now is a great time to check your maintenance is up to date. Summer is always a popular time for tenants to move out of rented accommodation so it can be easy to overlook property maintenance. Our blog this month discusses general maintenance issues that crop up at this time of year and how best to fix them.

EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE TASKS

This is a good time of year to make sure gutters are clean and free of any remaining winter debris.

Take a good look around the exterior of the building and take stock of any cracks in the walls, slipped tiles, blocked drains etc.

Remove any weeds growing in gaps in paving or masonry and repair any cracks in walls and pathways.

Garden paths should be cleaned and weeded along with any patios or decked areas and jet washed if they have mould or algae.

Essential early summer garden maintenance should be done including regular grass cutting, weeding and pruning.

Check wooden doors and windows including the frames and ensure the wood is in good condition. If not, now is a good time to get repair work and repainting done while the weather is fine and dry.

All of this will keep the exterior of your properties welcoming and attractive to prospective buyers or new tenants.

INTERIOR MAINTENANCE TASKS

Check for any gaps around windows and doors and fill in to avoid heat loss in the winter.

Check all the windows open and close properly and fix any that have issues with faulty hinges or handles.

Important at any time of the year is to regularly test smoke and CO2 alarms, keeping your tenants safe and giving you peace of mind.

For furnished properties, early summer is a good time to have carpets professionally cleaned. It also helps to remove pollen and allergens that can be found in carpets. The warmer air temperature allows the carpets to dry more quickly causing less inconvenience to the tenant.

Check all light bulbs are working and replace any that are not.

This is a good time to bleed radiators while they are not in use. This helps avoid leaks when the system is turned back on in the Autumn and may avoid any costly emergencies when the temperature drops.

As discussed in our May blog, the majority of pest control issues happen over the summer months as the pest population increases with the temperatures. Keeping properties clean and tidy together with draught proofing makes it far less attractive to pests.

GMC is here to help with all aspects of general property maintenance from exterior repairs and garden maintenance to boiler servicing and pest control. Whatever the problem we have the solution so get in touch today!