However, different seasons of the year bring different maintenance issues and while we associate things like frozen pipes and faulty radiators with winter, the summer season can bring problems of its own. It also presents a good opportunity to repair much of the damage caused by the previous winter while making preparations for the next.
Property maintenance solution provider, Help me Fix, has produced a guide to summer property maintenance, outlining the most common problems experienced during the warmer months and the cost associated with fixing them.
Brickwork and render repairs - £210
Summer is the perfect time to get outside and examine the home’s external brickwork and rendering, especially after your home has been battered by adverse weather during the winter months. Can you see any damage or cracks? If so, it’s important to address the issue now so that, when the cold and wet winter arrives, the problem does not worsen or cause serious damage to the structural integrity of the property. The cost of a patch repair is around £210.
Roof repairs - £150 and upwards.
While the weather is warm and relatively dry, it’s a good time to check the roof for damage. Cracked, damaged or missing tiles will allow rainwater into the house and they can also be bad for insulation and energy efficiency. It’s also important to ensure the flashing, which is in place to ensure the roof is waterproof, is fitted securely, particularly if you have roof windows/skylights.
If the roof is severely damaged, it can be very expensive to fix, but smaller issues are quite affordable. A small roof repair should cost around £150; tile replacement costs around £250; and flashing repair will cost about £250 per metre.
Gutters and downpipe drainage - £25 and upwards
With summer’s (hopefully) lighter rainfall, drains and gutters often go ignored for months, but ensuring they’re in good working order now will save a lot of frustration come winter. Maintaining gutters and drains can be as simple as clearing debris such as fallen leaves from the gutters’ pipes and drains, but can sometimes require cracked or broken sections to be repaired or replaced.
A professional clean of all gutters will cost around £200. Repairing a gutter will cost £30/m, and replacing a downpipe will cost £25/m.
Pest control - up to £230/day
Pests can be a summer problem for any home, regardless of its age or cleanliness. While mice and rats tend to move around more during the warmer months, there is still a chance they will nest in your home during summer, but a more common problem is going to be wasps and bees making homes under the roof or in the attic. It’s important to check regularly and make sure no nests have appeared and, if you find one, always get a professional to get rid of it. Trying to do it yourself can end up being very painful indeed.
A pest control specialist will charge around £230/day. But for relatively quick jobs, such as wasp and mouse control, you’re looking at a cost of between £138 - £180.
Boiler service - £80
Everyone knows that boilers break at the most inconvenient time. Christmas Eve is a classic example. That’s why summer is the best time to get your boiler tested and serviced. If not, there’s a chance that months of irregular use will mean that, when you come to fire it up for the first time in winter, it won’t work. That means you’ll be calling for help when the waiting list is at its longest. You want to find out about any boiler problems when it is warm outside and then enter winter with full boiler confidence.
A standard boiler service should cost around £80. But if problems are discovered, this can go up and up.
Clean exterior - £20 - £248
After months of winter cold and rain, the exterior of a house can look like a real mess. The start of every summer should be the time to start bringing it back to its best. You can, of course, try cleaning it yourself, but any ladder work is always best left to the professionals. Window cleaning will cost £20 - £30, and a full power wash of the outdoor drive and patio areas can cost £248.
Landscaping and tree care - £30/hour
Just as winter takes its toll on the exterior of the house, so it does on the garden. Now is the time to start addressing any damage caused and, of course, make sure it's an enjoyable place to spend the warm summer days ahead. This might mean relaying some turf, bedding flowers and plants, and trimming back trees and bushes which have grown out of control. If you’re not green-fingered yourself, a good gardener will charge £25-£30/hour.
Mould or water damage - £225
It’s important to take a close look at all of the walls and ceilings in the home for mould and dampness, paying close attention to the bathroom and around all window frames. As soon as you find any evidence of water damage, no matter how small, get it sorted. The worse it’s allowed to get, the more complicated and expensive it will be to fix. Plus there are genuine health considerations to make, especially with mould. A typical price for mould removal is £225.
Ettan Bazil, Founder of Help me Fix, commented: “Summer is the time for repairing and preparing. Not only has your home endured winter, with another one just around the corner, but the warmer weather can bring a number of issues itself.
"Getting ahead of the game is a smart move, particularly for those in rented accommodation and the landlords and property management companies responsible for helping them.
"The kinder conditions in summer often mean work can be carried out more quickly and easily, reducing any associated costs in the process. Not only does this help residents currently combatting a higher cost of living, but it also makes a big difference for those responsible for the upkeep of multiple properties.
"In many cases, simple maintenance issues can be rectified with nothing more than a little help and advice by a qualified and experienced professional. That’s why Help me Fix and our virtual maintenance solution is saving letting agents, property managers, landlords, and housing associations time and money, ensuring that physical call-outs are only provided when the situation genuinely requires it.”
