A £4 bag of silicone sealant, used in March, can save you a £4,000 bathroom ceiling in November. Most big repair bills in a UK home start as a small, boring job that nobody got round to. A good home maintenance schedule in the UK turns that into a calendar: a few jobs a month, mostly under an hour, with the bigger ones tied to the season they suit.
The short version: check the outside of the house in spring and autumn, the heating in late summer, the safety kit twice a year, and the water and damp spots before every winter. Below is every job, month by month, with a note on which ones are for you and which need a registered professional.
How to use this calendar
Treat it as a rhythm, not a rule book. You do not need to do everything in the month shown, but you do need a date for each job, because “sometime this year” usually means never.
Three habits make it work:
Walk the house with a notebook or phone once a month. Ten minutes, every room, looking up, down and behind things.
Photograph what you find. A dated photo of a hairline crack or a damp patch is worth more than your memory when you compare it six months later or show it to a surveyor.
Keep the paperwork where you can find it. Service records, receipts and certificates are what a buyer, an insurer or a trade will ask for. Our guide to the UK Home MOT explains how to structure a yearly check on the whole property.
A word on safety: anything involving gas, mains electrics or work at height above a safe stepladder is for a registered professional. A gas appliance must be serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and fixed electrical work should be done by a competent registered electrician. The rest is well within a confident homeowner’s reach.
January: damp, draughts and frozen pipes
January is when a house shows you what is wrong with it. The heating is on, the windows are shut and moisture has nowhere to go.
Check for condensation and mould. Look at window frames, north-facing walls, behind wardrobes and in the corners of bedrooms. Wipe it off, then work out why it is there. Poor ventilation is the usual cause.
Run extractor fans. Make sure the kitchen and bathroom fans actually move air. Hold a sheet of toilet paper to the grille; if it does not stick, the fan or the duct needs attention.
Know where your stopcock is, and turn it. A stopcock that has not moved in years often seizes. Better to find out now than in the middle of a burst pipe.
Lag exposed pipes in the loft, garage and outbuildings if you did not do it in autumn.
Check the boiler pressure on the gauge. Most combi boilers sit between 1 and 1.5 bar when cold. If it keeps dropping, see our guide on what to do when boiler pressure drops.
February: roof, gutters and loft after the storms
Winter storms test every roof in the country, and February is the time to see what they did.
Look at the roof from the ground. Binoculars help. You are looking for slipped, cracked or missing tiles, lifted ridge tiles and damaged flashing around the chimney. Do not climb up.
Check gutters and downpipes in the rain. Overflowing water at a joint, or a gutter dripping down the wall, tells you where a seal or a section has failed.
Check the loft. With a torch, look for daylight where there should be none, wet patches on the underside of the roof, damp insulation and signs of pests.
Look for stains on top-floor ceilings. A brown ring usually means water has found a way in.
Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms if you did not do so after the clocks went back (more on that under October).
March: the spring outside check
As the weather settles, move your attention from the roof to the walls and ground.
Walk the outside of the house. Look at brickwork for crumbling pointing, cracks wider than a few millimetres, and green or damp patches that suggest a leaking gutter or a bridged damp-proof course.
Check air bricks and vents. They must be clear of soil, planting and paint, or the underfloor void cannot breathe.
Inspect render and paintwork. Hairline cracks in render let water in behind it. Peeling paint on timber windows and doors means bare wood is exposed.
Clear the drains and gullies. Lift the covers, remove leaves and silt, and pour a bucket of water down to see that it clears.
Reseal around baths, showers and kitchen sinks where the silicone has blackened or lifted.
April: windows, doors and the garden fabric
Check window seals and handles. Close each window on a sheet of paper; if it slides out easily, the seal is tired. Spray a little lubricant on hinges and locks.
Look for blown double glazing, where condensation or misting has appeared between the panes. The unit will need replacing, though the frame may be fine.
Inspect fences, gates and garden walls. Leaning posts and cracked coping stones are far cheaper to fix now than after a gale.
Clean and treat decking and timber while it is dry enough to take a preserver.
Check outdoor taps. Turn them on, look for drips at the spindle and make sure they have not split during frost.
May: ventilation, cooling and pests
Service the ventilation. Clean extractor grilles and, if you have a heat recovery or mechanical ventilation unit, change or clean the filters as the maker advises.
Check for wasp nests in the loft and eaves before they grow. A small early nest is easier and cheaper to deal with than a full one in August.
Look at airbricks and cavity vents again for blockages from spring growth.
Test the garage door, the burglar alarm and any outside lights.
Check the trees. Branches over the roof, close to the walls or near drains are a risk to gutters, tiles and clay pipes.
June: the mid-year check
Half way round the year is the moment to repeat the big inspection and catch what spring missed. We use the same approach in our mid-year home walkaround, but the essentials are:
Revisit the roof and gutters, now that they are dry and you can see old stains.
Check the consumer unit. Look for any tripped switches, warm casings or burn marks. If something looks wrong, call an electrician and do not touch it.
Test every RCD using the test button, which is usually marked “T”, as the maker instructs.
Check that the cooker, kettle and appliance leads are not frayed or scorched.
Descale taps and shower heads to keep flow rates up and mixers working.
July: the quiet month for bigger jobs
July is a good time to book trades because many homeowners are on holiday and diaries have gaps.
Book the boiler service now. An annual service by a Gas Safe registered engineer is best done before the autumn rush, when slots disappear. Our guide on what a boiler service includes shows what a proper visit covers.
Get quotes for any external work such as repointing, roof repairs or window replacement, while the weather lets you compare like for like.
Check the loft insulation depth. The usual recommendation for a standard loft is around 270 mm of mineral wool. Top it up if it is thin or compressed.
Check the patio and drive for weeds, moss and sunken slabs.
August: heating checks while it is off
Run the heating for ten minutes. A short test in summer shows up a stuck pump or a seized valve long before you need it in anger.
Check every radiator for cold spots at the top (air) or the bottom (sludge). Bleed them as needed; our guide on how often to bleed radiators explains a sensible routine.
Inspect the flue, where you can see it, for staining or damage. Anything dark or sooty around a boiler or flue is a call to a Gas Safe engineer, not a cleaning job.
Check the hot water cylinder, its immersion heater and the pipework around it for weeping joints and limescale.
Clean and store the barbecue and garden furniture before the weather turns, rather than after.
September: get the exterior ready
Clear gutters and hoppers before the leaves arrive, then plan to repeat in late October or November.
Check the chimney. If you use an open fire or a wood burner, book a sweep. A flue should be swept at least once a year for solid fuel, and more often with heavy use.
Re-seal gaps around door frames, window frames and where pipes pass through walls. Draught-proofing strips and a tube of flexible filler are cheap and effective; see our guide to draught proofing a UK home.
Service the lawnmower and garden tools, and drain any outdoor taps and hoses.
Check outdoor steps, handrails and paths for loose or slippery surfaces before the wet weather arrives.
October: clocks, alarms and the winter checklist
October is the busiest month on the calendar, and our October home maintenance guide goes into the detail. The headline jobs are:
Test every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm when the clocks go back, and put a reminder in your phone for the clocks going forward in spring. Replace batteries as needed, and replace any alarm that has passed the date printed on it.
Get the boiler serviced if you have not done so, and the chimney swept if you use it.
Bleed the radiators and check the boiler pressure.
Clear the gutters again once most leaves have dropped.
Check the loft hatch and insulation. A loose hatch loses a surprising amount of heat.
Check the stopcock, and locate the isolation valves on your washing machine, dishwasher and sinks.
My opinion: the single most useful maintenance habit in the whole calendar is the October alarm and boiler pairing. Gas, smoke and carbon monoxide are the only household risks that can kill without warning, and both checks take less than an hour between them. If you do nothing else on this list, do those two, and put the dates in your phone so they cannot slip.
November: prepare for the cold snap
Lag pipes and tanks in unheated spaces. Foam lagging is cheap and quick to fit.
Know your frost plan. If you are going away, leave the heating on low, around 10 to 12 degrees, so pipes do not freeze.
Check external taps and drain them if they have no isolation valve.
Check the roof and chimney after the first big storm, looking for the same signs as in February.
Review your home insurance. Check the rebuild cost, the excess and any conditions on an empty property. Our guide on rebuild cost for home insurance explains how to check it.
December: low effort, high value
December is the month to do very little other than the essentials and enjoy the house.
Check the Christmas lights and extension leads for damage, and avoid overloading sockets.
Test the smoke alarms again before you have visitors and a lot of candles in the house.
Keep an eye on the boiler pressure and radiators. Cold snaps are when ageing boilers fail.
Clear snow and ice safely from paths, and do not use boiling water on glass or frozen pipes.
Do a paperwork tidy. File this year’s receipts, certificates and guarantees in one place, so they are easy to find when you need them.
Which jobs are yours and which need a professional
A quick way to sort the list is by risk.
Safe for most homeowners
Visual checks, clearing gutters from a stable ladder, bleeding radiators, testing alarms, resealing a bath, draught-proofing, cleaning vents, lagging pipes and topping up loft insulation.
Call a registered professional
Gas appliance servicing and any work on gas pipework, which must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Electrical faults, consumer unit work and anything beyond changing a bulb or a plug, which belongs to a registered electrician. Roof repairs at height, chimney work, structural cracks and anything involving asbestos, which is a specialist matter in older homes.
If in doubt, ask. A good tradesperson would rather look at a small problem now than a big one later.
Keeping records so the schedule works
A schedule is only as good as the records behind it. Keep a simple log with the date, what you checked, what you found and what you did. Add photos, invoices and certificates. Over a few years you build a history that helps when you claim on insurance, sell the house, or work out whether that damp patch is new or old.
You do not need anything fancy. A folder on your phone is a start, but a purpose-built tool does the job better because it reminds you when jobs are due.
What to do in the next 30 minutes
Open your phone calendar and add a repeating reminder for the boiler service, the alarm test and the gutter clear.
Walk the outside of the house and photograph anything that looks cracked, stained or loose.
Find your stopcock and check that it turns.
Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.
Pick the three jobs from the current month’s list and put a date next to each.
Ready to turn this calendar into reminders you cannot forget? Add it to your free Home+ checklist and Home+ will remind you when each job comes round, keep your service records in one place and show you the next job in the cycle.
FAQ
How often should I carry out home maintenance? Do a quick visual walk-round monthly, a fuller check twice a year in spring and autumn, and book the annual boiler service and chimney sweep each year. Smaller jobs fit into the months where they matter most.
What are the most important home maintenance jobs in the UK? Annual gas appliance servicing, testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, clearing gutters, checking the roof after storms, and watching for damp and condensation. These protect your safety and stop the most expensive repairs.
How much should I budget for home maintenance each year? A common rule of thumb is to set aside a percentage of the property’s value each year, but the right figure depends on age and condition. Older houses usually cost more to maintain, so keep a reserve and review it annually.
Can I do home maintenance myself? Many jobs, such as clearing gutters, bleeding radiators, resealing a bath and testing alarms, are fine for a confident homeowner. Gas, electrical and structural work, and anything at height, need a registered professional.
When is the best time to service my boiler? Late summer is ideal, before the autumn rush when engineers are busiest. A service in July or August leaves time to fix anything found before the cold weather starts.
What should I do if I find damp or a leak? Find the source before you treat the symptom. Photograph it, dry the area if you can, and ask a surveyor or a registered plumber to find the cause. Treating the stain without fixing the leak only delays the problem.
