6 Things to Regularly Check as a Home-Owner

Being a home-owner is a great thing and has many advantages to it. But the downside is that there are so many things that you need to be on top of that you otherwise wouldn’t have to consider if you were renting. As renters have the advantage of repairs and amenities being the responsibility of the landlord. But as the owner of your home, you are guarding an extremely expensive asset of your own and you want to be certain that it does not become damaged or devalued. To achieve this it is not enough to simply react to damage and repairs as they happen but to be on top of checking certain things and taking care of ongoing maintenance. There are so many things to check on when you own your property but here are the 6 that we feel are most important to any homeowner. 

Your Mortgage

You did all the mortgage arranging when you bought the property and it was a monumental task, the sheer amount of paperwork, meetings, and background checks made this a task that you wouldn’t want to voluntarily repeat. Although this is still true of a re-mortgage it should be something that you consider checking at least once a year as the savings you could make are worth all of the effort. It’s easy to check what kind of deals you might be eligible for though and easy comparison sites such as habito.com which can quickly and easily give you an idea of what may be available to you. There are times when you should be aware that re-mortgaging may be necessary, such as when you are thinking about renting out your property as some mortgage providers will not allow this meaning you would be forced to take on a new mortgage.

Roof/Attic

Beyond the obvious notion that you don’t want a leaky roof and would prefer to sit in a comfortable, warm and dry home many more serious issues can come from not checking your roof and attic space regularly. The chances of a leak being severe enough to notice water coming into your living space is actually quite remote. But what can happen is the damage that unwanted water in the roof space can do can amount to be very costly if not noticed straight away. This is especially true during the winter months and after any storm large or small. You may be able to notice the damage from the outside if it happens to be due to a dislodged roof tile. But often high winds can move roof tiles without completely removing them, allowing water in and causing much damage. If you have had water damage use a professional roofer to assess if any repairs need to be done.

House Prices

House prices are important to keep track of as your house is not only your home, but it’s a valuable asset as well and it’s prudent to protect your assets. It also gives you an idea if you are going to end up in any financial bother if you are on a mortgage that does not automatically repay the capital on your home, such as an interest-only mortgage. It’s good to keep an eye on prices in areas near yours as well to see if you can make any significant savings as you may just get something that’s just as nice but not as expensive. Even if you put your property on the market you are not under any obligation to accept an offer and can withdraw the house for sale before that point.

Interior Walls & Floors

Walls and floors are essential to be checked regularly for damage and other issues. One of the biggest issues you can come across is damp. Damp can be detected using a small device that’s cheaply bought and easy to use and if you catch this kind of issue quickly then it much easier to treat and therefore much less expensive. Once damp gets a hold in a wall it can be very invasive. Another issue with walls that is important to be on top of is the level of cavity wall insulation that your wall does or doesn’t have. It can be a real money saver if you up the level of warmth in your home, reducing bills and doing your bit for the environment.

One thing that we often never think about until it is upon us is the possibility of an insect infection, and this is the thing that above all others you do not want to let get out of hand. If you let the problem spread then something like termite treatment on a large scale will be much worse than if you are dealing with it on a small scale.

Smoke or Fire Alarms

Smoke and fire alarms are important, it’s a matter of life and death important. It can take a surprisingly short amount of time for a fire to spread throughout the home and you don’t want to be caught behind the fire. There’s no guarantee of how quickly the fire department can reach you and so you’ll be taking no chances with this one. Make sure that you check your alarms at the very least once every year and it does no harm to do it more often than that as testing is hardly a difficult process, you simply press the test button on most models. 

Water Tanks or Plumbing

If you have an old water tank then it’s best to regularly check for leaks as we know from what we said about roofs how damaging water can be. Also, your pipes are important too, especially in winter. If you are going to go away for a bit in the cold months be sure to leave your heating on a short timer to come on briefly twice a day to stop the pipes freezing. Speaking of the heating, it would also be worthwhile to organise an inspection of your heating systems with experts such as those at nelsonpropane.com, this will ensure that everything is working as intended and any repairs required can be done before further damage is done to your home.