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Home maintenance checklist
A home maintenance checklist keeps small jobs from becoming expensive repairs. Test alarms every month, check drains, seals and filters every season, and clear the gutters and have the boiler serviced once a year. Put each task on a fixed rhythm, so you no longer have to remember it.
Good to know
This is a general checklist. Your appliances may need something different: the manual or the installer always has the last word. Work with gas, electricity or at height is for a qualified professional.
Monthly
- Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms with the test button
- Clean the extractor fan and cooker hood filter
- Run hot water through rarely used taps and showers
- Check the boiler pressure gauge if you have a combi boiler
- Look under sinks for drips or damp
- Clean the dishwasher filter and the washing machine drawer
Every season
| Season | Inside | Outside |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Check seals around the bath and shower, clean window tracks, test the outside tap | Check the roof from the ground for slipped tiles, clean the garden furniture, check fences |
| Summer | Clean behind the fridge, check window locks before holidays | Treat wooden window frames if needed, trim plants away from walls |
| Autumn | Bleed radiators, check the heating comes on properly, test the thermostat | Clear the gutters and downpipes after the leaves fall, store the hose, check the outside lights |
| Winter | Know where your stopcock is and check it turns, keep the loft insulated | Protect outside taps from frost, keep drains clear of leaves |
Once a year
- Have the gas boiler serviced by a registered engineer (many manufacturers require it for the warranty)
- Have the chimney swept if you use an open fire or wood burner
- Replace the batteries in alarms that need it, and note the alarm replacement date
- Check the loft for leaks, damp or pests
- Clean or replace filters in ventilation units
- Check the sealant around windows and doors
- Review your home insurance before it renews
- Test the residual current device (RCD) with its test button, if the manual says so
Every few years
| Task | Typical rhythm | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Repaint outside woodwork | Every 3 to 5 years | Yourself or a decorator |
| Electrical inspection | Ask an electrician what suits your home | Qualified electrician |
| Replace smoke alarms | Check the date on the alarm | Yourself |
| Re-seal the shower and bath | When the sealant discolours or lifts | Yourself |
| Check the roof up close | Every few years, or after a storm | Roofer |
Yourself or a professional?
- Yourself: testing alarms, bleeding radiators, cleaning filters, clearing low gutters with a stable ladder, re-sealing a bath.
- A professional: anything with gas, new electrical work, work on the roof, a boiler that keeps losing pressure, damp that keeps coming back.
- When in doubt: ask for a quote. Put it on your waiting-for list with a date to follow up.
If you rent
In a rented home, much of this list belongs to the landlord: the structure, the roof, the boiler and the wiring. In the UK, landlords must also arrange a gas safety check every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants usually look after the small things: testing alarms, bleeding radiators, keeping drains and filters clear and reporting problems early. Your tenancy agreement says who does what. Report a problem in writing, keep a copy, and put it on your waiting-for list with a date to follow up.
How to make it automatic
- Choose your tasksCross out what your home does not have. A flat without a garden needs half this list.
- Give each one a rhythmMonthly, seasonal or yearly. Seasonal tasks get a fixed month, for example the gutters in November.
- Put the yearly ones in your calendarThe boiler service, the chimney and the insurance renewal, each on its own date.
- Pair them with something you already doTest the alarms when you pay the monthly bills; bleed the radiators when the clocks change.
How SortYourMind does it
Maintenance that reminds you by itself
In SortYourMind, a task like "clear the gutters" gets a rhythm once and comes back by itself in the right month. The app plans it in your free time around your calendar, and a quote you are waiting on goes under waiting for reply, so nothing gets lost between the call and the visit.
- Routines every month, every season or every year
- House as a theme, with its own maintenance tasks
- Waiting for reply for quotes and appointments
- Tell SyMon: "gutters every November, an hour"
Everything included, no card needed. Then you decide. Works in the browser on any device.
Questions
How often should you test a smoke alarm?
Fire services commonly advise testing smoke alarms once a month with the test button. Check the manual for when the alarm itself needs replacing.
How often should a boiler be serviced?
Usually once a year by a registered engineer. Many manufacturers make a yearly service a condition of the warranty, so check yours.
When should you clean the gutters?
At least once a year, in late autumn after the leaves have fallen. Homes near trees often need a second clean in spring.