Seasonal property maintenance vs. ‘spring cleaning’
Owning your own property comes with a lot of responsibilities, but it also gives you the freedom to express yourself in your own space. Sometimes though you need to focus on keeping your property maintained and while some may consistently do things throughout the year, many wait until spring to do a big clean.
Here at Vital Building Inspections Sydney, we recommend setting up a seasonal schedule to help with the chore of property maintenance in Sydney and avoid burnout.
Seasonal property maintenance
Adriana Aziz from maidforyou.com.au knows all about how as the seasons change your property’s maintenance requirements change as well. Her website features a great seasonal property maintenance checklist that breaks up the big jobs throughout the year and will help save you money.
Summer
- Service your air conditioners.
- Check all your plumbing fixtures for any damage and possible leaks.
- Clean up mould from in and around your home.
- Maintain your refrigerator.
- Clean out your air vents.
- Clean your washing machine and inspect components of the appliance.
- Check the expiration date of your fire extinguisher(s).
- Check if your smoke detectors are working and replace batteries if needed.
- Wash your home exteriors.
- Maintain your garden/yard.
Autumn
- Clean your rain gutters. If you hire someone, have them check your roof as well.
- Give your garbage disposal a deep clean.
- Get your gas range and stovetop serviced.
- Clean your fireplace and chimney.
- Rake leaves from your yard.
- Service your water heater and furnace.
Winter
- Check water pipes in and around your property for damage or leaks.
- Inspect your ceilings and walls for dampness.
- Clean your gutters and downpipe (If you hire someone, have them check your roof as well).
- Ventilate your property more.
- Contact a building and pest inspector to do a pest inspection of your property.
- Adjust your refrigerator temperature as needed.
- Check that your smoke detectors are working fine.
- Keep your property in check.
Spring
- Touch up chipped paint.
- Drain and clean your water heater.
- Inspect your basement and attic.
- Clean and service your dehumidifiers.
- Clean and service your air conditioner.
- Deep clean your garbage disposal once again.
- Clean your dishwasher.
- Maintain your yard/garden.
The big spring clean
If you’re a big project kind of person (or a skilled procrastinator), a big spring clean might be perfect for you. MSISA Property understands that sometimes doing all your maintenance together can be fulfilling and that spring is the best time to give a fresh air of life to your property.
Cleaning
Deep cleaning the interior and exterior parts of the property, power washing driveways and decks, declutter sheds or garages, and air out the property to let in fresh air and prevent mould growth.
Roofing
Check for fallen, loose, or buckling fixtures which may need to be replaced. Don’t forget to clean out debris and leaves in gutters.
Plumbing and drainage
Clean and de-clog filters and pipes throughout the property, check all faucets, pipes, and drainage, and ensure spouts all drain away from the building.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Check and replace filters, get your systems inspected and properly serviced before summer.
Pest control
Perform pest control inspections and hire a professional like Vital Building Inspections Sydney if needed.
Repainting
While spring can be warm in Australia, it’s generally not too hot yet and is the perfect time to give your home a fresh new look. Have fun repainting walls (interior and exterior) and even any fences your property may have.
Property management or DIY?
If you don’t want your property to end up costing you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars randomly throughout the year, performing maintenance on your property is in your best interest. If you have investment properties, keeping them maintained is even more essential and as a landlord it can seem like a time and money drain.
Reduce maintenance
The team at different.com.au believes that if you’ve got the right mindset and planning, you can take the fuss out of property maintenance, catch small problems before they become big ones, and lessen the strain on your wallet too. Their best tip for reducing property maintenance costs is to maintain well, regularly, and to plan ahead.
This includes having an emergency fund set aside in case of urgent property repairs such as broken windows, doors, or locks… security system repairs… pool fencing and gates… and even emergency plumbing, electricity, or HVAC problems.
Hire a property manager
While it can be simple enough to DIY your property maintenance, not everyone has the time or even the desire to get hands on with their property. In this case, consider hiring a property manager who will take care of all the “heavy lifting” of maintaining your property. They will cost you, but they do save you time and energy while also being able to recommend tradies from their extensive networks. The team at Different also points out that you can hire a property manager and learn the ropes yourself before taking over when you’re ready, if that suits you better.
Saving money in property maintenance costs
The folks over at Leisuretex came up with their Top 10 Tips a few years ago and they are a very good reminder of why it’s important to plan out your property maintenance.
- Repaint regularly to avoid larger issues.
- Use a reminder system.
- Get on top of maintenance early.
- Plan your paint colours – lighter shades last longer.
- Use high quality products.
- Look at exterior options.
- Rendering saves future costs.
- Remember to check your roof.
- Use professional painting contractors.
- Use the right equipment.
The next step – Vital buildings Inspections, Sydney
Now that you’ve gone and planned out your property maintenance requirements, it’s time to start setting things like property inspections up. Vital Building Inspections Sydney are a Sydney-based building and pest inspection company with over 20 years of experience helping families and businesses repair and restore buildings.
Their experience in working with elemental damage, structural defects, poor workmanship, timber pests, and countless other causes makes them the ideal company to provide your building and pest inspection when you need them.
Contact Vital Building Inspections Sydney today to schedule your free quote on 0401 012 074 or submit a web enquiry by clicking here.
