What is a House Maintenance Checklist?

Much like a routine visit to your doctor’s office, providing your house with maintenance is essential for its upkeep. Occasionally checking on your home’s exterior, appliances, heating and cooling, pipes, and other systems can help prevent future malfunctions.

Read on to learn more about house maintenance.

Maintaining Your House in Top Condition

When you bought your house, you were hyper-aware of the costs, such as the down payment, mortgage rate, closing costs, and other expenses. However, you may have forgotten about setting aside money for future repairs and maintenance. A house maintenance checklist can help you schedule seasonal updates, repairs, and cleaning.

View more to learn how to create a maintenance checklist, so your house remains habitable.

Monthly Maintenance Checklist

Keeping up with simple monthly maintenance tasks for your home can prevent expensive repairs in the future. Fortunately, most of these chores only require everyday household items and are easy to do. Do the following each month:

• Check For Leaks: Inspect your toilets and sinks for signs of water damage. Remember, even a small leak can cost thousands if it goes untreated, so stay on top of this task.
• Check HVAC System Filters: Some filters are reusable, but others must be replaced every few months. Clean or replace them approximately three times a year.
• Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Change your detector’s batteries twice a year. Make a habit of changing them when you switch the time during Daylight Savings Time.
• Inspect The Outside: Next time you go for a stroll, thoroughly inspect the outside of your house and any other outbuildings, such as a shed. Be on the lookout for problems with the foundation, gutters, vents, and pipes.

Yearly Maintenance Checklist

You will need to complete a few annual maintenance tasks to keep your home looking its best. Do the following each year:

• Grease Your Garage Door’s Springs: Even if you don’t open and close your garage door often, you should lubricate its springs, so they don’t develop a squeak or become stuck.
• Drain Water From Your Heater: Sediment that gathers at the bottom of your heater can impact its longevity, so you should drain out the contaminated water yearly.
• Clean Clothes Dryer: Excessive lint can affect your dryer’s performance and may become a fire hazard. Approximately 15,500 house fires are caused by defective clothes dryers each year, according to The National Park Service.

Five-Year Maintenance Checklist

As your home grows older, you will begin to notice wear and tear. Here are a few items you should pay attention to every five years:

Replace your microwave after about five years. If yours is in good shape, you may not need to replace it, but holding on to an old microwave can lead to a house fire. Unfortunately, countertop microwaves have a shorter lifespan.

Kitchen sinks begin to show signs of aging at the five-year mark. Fortunately, you can turn to replace your sink into a fun DIY project if you have the proper tools.

Install a new dishwasher. Consider going for an eco-friendly one to save both water and money.

Contact Hudson Douglas Public Adjusters, LLC

Even if you have a well-rounded maintenance checklist, you can never predict when a natural disaster will strike. If your house or business experiences damage due to fire, smoke, or water damage, you will need your insurance claim resolved quickly for a fair settlement. At Hudson Douglas Public Adjusters, we represent you, and not your insurance company. Contact us today to get your claim resolved fast.