Whether you’re letting or living in your home, neglecting winter maintenance can cause issues and with your property most likely your biggest investment, you can certainly help protect against it with the right winter maintenance . Cold wintry nights bring with them; Jack Frost trying to bite chunks out of your pipes, the wind stealing tiles from your roof and heavy rain, and sometimes snow, bringing the potential of flooded areas. While you can’t stop nature, you can certainly help to protect against it with the right winter maintenance plan. So, what can you do to help keep your property safe against the assaults of winter?
Pipes
During the winter your pipes are going to get a lot of use. Repeated heating and cooling combined with a vicious frost can cause cracking. An easy step to take is to carry out a visual inspection, particularly of any external pipes. Ensuring they are well maintained and are insulated will help protect them and therefore your bank balance from any large bills.
Roof
Cast your eyes (from the ground) along the roof, check if there are any missing tiles and make sure the gutters are in working order and draining so that they are not creating an expensive and damaging pool of water.
Boiler and Radiators
Check the boiler and consider getting it serviced annually. You can also bleed the radiators, the more efficiently they work, the better it will be for your heating bill.
Wood Burners and Stoves
If you are lucky enough to own a wood burner, make sure the chimney is clear. Think back to when it last was serviced as keeping it in working order will keep the heat flowing efficiently and safely.
Draughts
Do any internal doors need adjusting or replacing due to the hot and cold cycle of the seasons? Is there a draught coming from the seals around the fireplace? Or is there a draught coming from somewhere else that could be efficiently resolved?
Insulation
It could be there is a draught coming from the loft. To prevent/stop this you should take a look at reinsulating your home. If you are not experienced in this it is worth employing a skilled tradesman to complete it.
Salt and Shovels
If you have a lot of exposed concrete paving or tarmac invest in a shovel, sand or salt so you can be prepared for snow and ice.
Stock up
Build up your reserves of wood, or whichever fuels you burn on the fire.
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
With so many fuels and energy sources in use, make sure your warning alarms are in good working order. One minute of your time to check the batteries is always time well spent.
Insurance
Check your policy. If the winter is going to be particularly bad with storms, ice, snow or floods then use it as a reminder to check in fine detail what you are covered for. Some policies might not cover for wind for example and the finer detail may state that only a certain amount of compensation is paid in the event of damage.
Remember, if you spend a lot of time away for work or in a partner’s house, to adjust your policy accordingly as the house could be classified as unoccupied, even if it’s only for a certain period of time.
