Just like your car, your property requires regular care and maintenance to keep it in its best condition. Over time, natural wear and tear, the weather, and the occasional accident can degrade surfaces, leave scratches, and discolour paint. This all leads to a tired-looking building that’s no longer as welcoming as it once was.

 

Maintenance isn’t just about making things look good either. Without regular care, properties can become damaged, leading to bigger and more expensive problems further down the line.

 

If you’re a landlord, you’ll find that prospective tenants are put off by poorly maintained or grubby-looking houses.

 

It’s therefore, a smarter and more economical choice to invest in regular property maintenance and repairs, no matter whether it’s your own home or part of your portfolio.

 

Here are some of the key areas that your maintenance should be focused on.

 

Maintain Your Extractor Fans

 

Extractor fans are important for removing humid air, moisture and steam from your properties and they’re usually found in both the bathroom and kitchen.

 

Given that they play such a vital role in preventing the growth of mould, you’ll want to make sure they’re performing at their best. Additionally, over time, extractor fans can get dust and other gunk stuck to them, making them look unsightly.

 

Therefore, you’ll want to give them a good clean, inside and out, to ensure they move as much air as possible and don’t look off-putting to potential tenants. If you employ a property maintenance company, be sure extra fans are something they check.

 

Renew Your Bathroom Silicone

 

The silicone around your bath and sink are a vital defence in your continued battle against damp and mould. They create a water-tight seal around these two sanitary-ware items to keep any splashes from seeping behind them.

 

However, no matter how careful you are or how much you clean, this silicone eventually gets eroded and attacked by black mould.

 

You’d be surprised how much better a bathroom will look after just replacing the silicone. So it’s an important item on your maintenance schedule.

 

Whether you’re doing it yourself or using property maintenance services for landlords, you’ll want to ensure that the colour of the silicone is matched so that you maintain the aesthetic.

 

Conduct General Repairs

 

A wonky kitchen cupboard, a bedroom door that sticks, or a loose tile. Over time, these are all things that can happen in a property over time. While you or the current tenant may think of them as quirks or part of its “character”, to a prospective tenant, they’re a sign of neglect.

 

These are all often simple fixes and usually involve tightening a few screws, adding a little bit more adhesive, or replacing a small fixture or fitting. However, they can take up quite a bit of time to get right, especially if you have a long list of tasks.

 

If you’re planning to do it yourself, you’ll want to set aside a good few hours or even a whole day and do a survey of all the issues first so you can prepare all the tools and parts you’ll need before you begin.

 

If you’re short of time, many property maintenance companies in the UK will provide a handyman service that can do all of this hard work for you.

 

Check For and Replace Faulty and Blown Light Bulbs

 

You or your tenants may have had a lightbulb blow and either not noticed or decided not to do anything with it because it wasn’t stopping you from seeing. However, not replacing a bulb can reduce the life of other spotlights or bulbs installed in the same fitting.

 

Despite the claims of the manufacturers, even modern LED light bulbs can blow after just a couple of years. Faults in the light fittings themselves can accelerate their deterioration too, so it’s important to pay attention to whether some bulbs are failing more frequently than others.

 

If you’re renting a portfolio of properties, you’ll want to find a company that replaces lights as part of their landlord services. If you’re just looking to maintain your own home, just keep a set of spare bulbs and replace them as and when they fail.

 

Remember to turn off the light before you replace it and let it cool down before you touch it.

 

Perform a Deep Clean

 

No matter how house proud you are, there will always be things you miss, can’t reach or struggle with while cleaning. Yet the cleanliness of a property is important, regardless of whether you’re living in it, trying to find a tenant, or attempting to sell it.

 

To prospective buyers and renters, cleanliness shows that you take care of the property and are likely to take care of them throughout any potential tenancy.

 

Doing a full deep clean of a property can take a long time, especially if it has been neglected for some time. Layers of grease can build up on surfaces in kitchens, even if you don’t notice them, and they can take a lot of effort to remove.

 

Similarly, carpets, walls, and floors need to be thoroughly cleaned, removing dust, grime, and greasy handprints.

 

The best property maintenance service companies will also pay attention to places you won’t normally look, like the tops of cupboards where dust can build-up for years without being noticed.

 

Paint and Decorate For a Fresh Look

 

Applying a fresh coat of paint can go a long way to making your property look like a palace. Paint also serves an important function of protecting the plasterboard and other surfaces. This is why owners of leasehold apartments usually find that painting the walls and ceilings is a contractual obligation that they must perform every few years.

 

If you’re doing it yourself, you’ll want to make sure you use the right paints, protect the surfaces you’re not painting, clean the surfaces, wait for them to dry, apply a primer, and apply an even coat to avoid any overlap marks.

 

If that sounds like too much work, you can hire a professional by searching for property maintenance services near me. That way, you’ll know your property is going to look great and you won’t need to lift a finger.

 

Looking for a Property Maintenance Company Near You?

 

At Yasmeen Property Services, we understand the importance of regular maintenance. Our End of Tenancy Refresh Package is great for landlords who want their property looking spick and span ahead of a new tenant moving in. It covers all of the points above and is carried out by trained experts. Find out more about how we can help you by requesting a free quote today.