Home maintenance checklist UK: a season by season plan for families

A home maintenance checklist UK families can stick to has three layers: a few quick checks every month (smoke alarms, a look under the sinks), a short list of jobs each season that follow the British weather (gutters in autumn, the garden tap before the first frost), and a handful of yearly jobs like the boiler service. Little and often beats one exhausting weekend, and it's how small things like a blocked gutter get caught before they become a damp patch on a child's bedroom ceiling.

Below is the full list, ordered so you can pin it up and work through it. Most jobs take minutes. The ones that need a professional are marked.

How to use this home maintenance checklist UK families can share

Family homes get worn harder than most. More people, more showers, more muddy boots, more things pulled off walls. The point isn't to do everything at once; it's to know what's due this month, so nothing goes years without a look.

A few ground rules:

• Do the monthly checks on the same day each month. The first Saturday, or whenever the bins go out on the first week.
• Do seasonal jobs early in the season, before the weather makes them urgent.
• Write down anything you find, even if you're not fixing it yet. A list of small faults is easier to deal with than a vague sense that things need doing.
• If you rent, some of these are your landlord's job. Report problems in writing and keep a copy.

Every month

Ten minutes, start to finish.

• [ ] Test every smoke alarm. The government's fire safety advice is to press the test button once a month. Make it a job the kids can help with, since they'll remember the beep.
• [ ] Test any carbon monoxide alarms the same way.
• [ ] Look under the kitchen and bathroom sinks for drips, damp or a musty smell.
• [ ] Check the boiler pressure gauge against the range in the manual, if your boiler has one.
• [ ] Clean the extractor fan grilles in the kitchen and bathroom, which clog quickly in a busy house.
• [ ] Run water in any rarely used taps or showers, such as a spare room or downstairs loo.
• [ ] Check the washing machine filter and door seal, a common source of smells and slow drainage.

Spring

Spring is for repairing what winter did and getting ready for the garden.

• [ ] Walk round the outside of the house. Look for slipped roof tiles, cracked render, gaps around windows and anything that moved in the winter winds. Use binoculars or a phone camera's zoom rather than a ladder.
• [ ] Check gutters and downpipes after the last of the winter storms. (Use a professional if it means working at height.)
• [ ] Look for damp or mould behind furniture and in the corners of bedrooms, especially those that stayed closed up over winter.
• [ ] Clean windows and check the seals for condensation between panes.
• [ ] Test the outside tap you turned off in the autumn, and look for any leaks.
• [ ] Check fences, gates and sheds for winter damage, especially where children play.
• [ ] Clear out the loft or garage once, so you know what's up there before summer.

Summer

The long days are the easiest time for jobs that need dry weather.

• [ ] Book the boiler service. Manufacturers generally recommend one a year, and summer is usually easier to book than the first cold snap. (Gas Safe registered engineer only.) There's more in how often a boiler should be serviced.
• [ ] Paint or treat outdoor wood: fences, sheds, window frames, decking.
• [ ] Check the play equipment in the garden: swings, trampolines and climbing frames, for loose bolts, worn ropes and torn nets.
• [ ] Clear drains and gullies of leaves and silt.
• [ ] Look at the loft insulation while it's comfortable to be up there, and check for signs of pests or leaks.
• [ ] Trim back plants from walls, gutters and paths.
• [ ] Check window locks and handles, and that keys for any locked windows are kept somewhere sensible.

Autumn

This is the most important season in the UK. Leaves, wind and rain all arrive at once, and what you do now decides how winter goes.

• [ ] Clear the gutters once the leaves have mostly fallen. (Professional if it means working at height.)
• [ ] Bleed the radiators if any are cold at the top once the heating comes on.
• [ ] Check the heating works before you need it, not on the first freezing night.
• [ ] Turn off and drain the outside tap, and cover it if it's exposed.
• [ ] Lag exposed pipes in the loft, garage and under the floor.
• [ ] Find the stopcock and check it turns. Show any older children and the other adult where it is.
• [ ] Sweep the chimney if you use an open fire or wood burner. (Professional.)
• [ ] Check draught excluders and door seals before the cold sets in.
• [ ] Stock a small emergency kit: a torch, spare batteries and the numbers you'd need if the power or heating went off.

Winter

Winter is about watching rather than fixing.

• [ ] Keep an eye on condensation. Wipe windows in the morning, open them for a while each day, and use extractor fans when cooking, showering and drying washing.
• [ ] Watch for frozen pipes during cold snaps, especially in lofts and outside walls.
• [ ] Check the roof and gutters from the ground after storms.
• [ ] Keep paths and steps clear of leaves and ice.
• [ ] Look at the loft after heavy rain or snow for drips.
• [ ] Plan next year's bigger jobs, so you can get quotes before spring when tradespeople get busy.

Once a year

These are the ones that slip, because a year is long enough to forget.

• [ ] Boiler service. Once a year, by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• [ ] Chimney sweep, if you have a working fireplace or wood burner.
• [ ] Replace smoke alarm batteries where the alarm takes them, and check the date on the back of each alarm for when it needs replacing.
• [ ] Check your home insurance renewal date and whether the cover still fits.
• [ ] Read the meters and keep a note of the readings.
• [ ] Check warranties on the boiler and big appliances, and when they end.

If you rent: what's your landlord's job

GOV.UK sets out some safety duties that fall on landlords, not tenants. Your landlord must:

• have a registered engineer do an annual gas safety check on each gas appliance and flue, and give you a copy of the record before you move in or within 28 days of the check
• provide a smoke alarm on each storey, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance, such as a coal fire or wood burner
• make sure the electrical system and any appliances they supply are safe

You can still do the monthly checks yourself, such as testing the alarms, and report anything that doesn't work. Check the current rules for your part of the UK on GOV.UK.

Keeping track of it all

The checklist is the easy part. Remembering what's due, and what you've already done, is harder, especially when one parent ends up holding the whole house in their head.

A few habits help:

• Keep one list that both adults can see, with the date each job was last done.
• Keep the paperwork together: boiler service records, the gas safety record if you rent, warranties and receipts for big repairs.
• Set reminders for the yearly jobs on the day you do them.

mylife/ can take the dated jobs off your mind. The home ledger holds tenancy, mortgage and home insurance dates, the warranties ledger keeps the boiler and appliances with when cover ends, and you get a nudge before anything is due, never during your quiet hours. Shared to-do lists mean the other adult can tick things off too. To see how it fits a family home, try mylife/ free for 3 days.

The bills side of running a house has its own routine: see how to keep track of household bills.

Frequently asked questions

What maintenance should be done on a house every year?

At the least, a boiler service, a check of the roof and gutters, a chimney sweep if you use a fire, and a look at smoke alarms, insulation and the outside of the house. Spreading these through the seasons makes them much easier to keep up.

How often should I test my smoke alarm?

Government fire safety advice is to test smoke alarms by pressing the button once a month. Doing it on the same day each month makes it easier to remember.

When should gutters be cleaned in the UK?

Late autumn, once most of the leaves have fallen, is the key time. A check in spring after the winter storms is worth doing too. Use a professional if it means working at height.

Is the landlord responsible for maintenance in a rented home?

GOV.UK sets out safety duties for landlords, including an annual gas safety check, a smoke alarm on each storey and safe electrics. Your tenancy agreement may cover other repairs, so check it and report problems in writing.

What should I do to my house before winter?

Clear the gutters, check the heating, bleed radiators, turn off and drain the outside tap, lag exposed pipes and find the stopcock. Doing these in autumn means you're not dealing with them on the first freezing night.