Annual maintenance checklist

The short answer

Most expensive property repairs start as something small and visible. A seasonal routine — gutters cleared in autumn, heating serviced in late summer, roof and stonework checked in spring, pipes protected in winter — prevents the majority of them. Keeping dated records of the work also makes selling smoother, because buyers' surveyors ask.

What the work involves

A quarterly walk around the outside and through the loft, plus scheduled servicing of the boiler and alarms and annual clearing of rainwater goods.

Rules and consents in Scotland

No consents apply to routine maintenance itself, but landlords have specific annual and five-yearly obligations for gas, electrical and alarm compliance.

What commonly goes wrong

Only inspecting when something goes wrong, which typically means the defect has already been running for a season or more.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Annual gutter clearing and a boiler service are the two recurring costs worth budgeting for.
• Setting aside roughly one percent of property value a year for maintenance is a common rule of thumb.
• Tenement owners should expect periodic shared costs for roof, stair and elevation work.
• Deferred maintenance almost always costs more than the original repair would have.

What to do, in order

1. 1Spring: check the roof, stonework and render after winter; test outside taps.
2. 2Summer: book the boiler service; carry out external decoration.
3. 3Autumn: clear gutters, hoppers and gullies; check the loft for daylight and damp.
4. 4Winter: insulate exposed pipes; test alarms; keep a low background heat in cold spells.
5. 5Annually: test alarms monthly and review the EICR date.
6. 6Keep a folder of dated invoices, certificates and photographs.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Edinburgh's tree-lined streets make autumn gutter clearing the single highest-value item on the list.
• Tenement owners benefit from raising shared repairs with neighbours or the factor early, since agreeing a scheme takes time.
• Coastal East Lothian properties need a shorter cycle for external decoration and metalwork.
• Winter condensate pipe freezing is the most common avoidable boiler call-out in the Lothians.

When you need a professional

A property maintenance contractor can carry out most of the checklist; a chartered surveyor is worth engaging for a condition survey every few years on an older property.

Common questions

How much should I budget for maintenance?

A commonly used guide is around one percent of the property's value each year, though older and tenement property can require more in some years.

What is the highest-value single job?

Clearing gutters and downpipes, because neglected rainwater goods cause damp, timber decay and stone erosion.

Related pages

• Gutters and downpipes

  Clearing, repairing and renewing rainwater goods before they cause damp.

• Roof repairs

  Slipped slates, failed flashings and leaks on Scottish pitched and flat roofs.

• Boiler servicing and repairs

  Annual servicing, common faults and when replacement makes more sense.