Free checklist
Home maintenance checklist
Most home maintenance is cheap, quick and boring, and the cost of skipping it is neither. This is the short version: the jobs that actually prevent damage, grouped by how often they need doing.
Free to use and print. No signup, no email required.
Every month
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarmsPress and hold the test button until it sounds. Ten seconds.
- Check under sinks and around the washing machine for dampSlow leaks do the expensive damage, not fast ones.
- Run water in any unused sink, bath or showerStops the trap drying out and letting drain smells back in.
- Clear the tumble dryer lint filter properlyA blocked filter is both a fire risk and an electricity bill.
Every six months
- Replace smoke and CO alarm batteriesUnless they are sealed ten-year units.
- Clean extractor fan filters in the kitchen and bathroom
- Check window and door seals for draughtsEasiest to spot on a windy day with a hand held near the frame.
- Descale the kettle, shower head and dishwasherHard-water areas: more often.
- Test the trip switch on the consumer unitIt should trip and reset cleanly.
Once a year
- Service the boilerUsually required to keep the warranty and often the home insurance valid.
- Clear the guttersAutumn, after the leaves are down. Blocked gutters cause damp walls.
- Sweep the chimney if you use a solid-fuel fire
- Check the roof from the ground with binocularsSlipped or missing slates, cracked flashing, sagging gutters.
- Bleed the radiators before the heating season
- Check the loft for damp, daylight and disturbed insulation
- Review home insurance before it auto-renewsThe renewal quote is very rarely the best price available.
Every few years
- Have the electrics inspectedRoughly every ten years for an owner-occupied home.
- Repaint or re-treat external woodworkEvery three to five years depending on exposure.
- Reseal the bath and showerAs soon as the silicone discolours or lifts.
- Service the heat pump or solar systemFollow the manufacturer interval — it usually affects the warranty.
Keeping track of it
The hard part is not knowing the list — it is remembering it in eleven months. MyHouseDesk keeps these as recurring tasks and emails you when each one comes round.