Whether you’re a homeowner looking after your own property or a developer responsible for a range of homes and commercial properties, you know the importance of regular, comprehensive maintenance. This involves not only your outside landscaping and the exterior of your buildings, but includes a number of potential issues inside the home as well. Maintenance is an ongoing job, comprising weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks, plus many others which arise as needed. Though every property is different, and each will have unique maintenance demands, here are a few suggestions on major elements to keep an eye on—and how surveying fits into that.
Essential Property Maintenance
Quite frankly, you could work on maintaining your property nonstop. It seems there’s always something to be fixed, replaced, or improved upon. Instead of a constant battle, break down your maintenance routine into manageable tasks you can work on throughout the year. Here’s a great seasonal checklist you can use to keep you on track.
Safety issues are a top priority for property maintenance. Every few months you should be checking your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and inspecting the condition of fire extinguishers. Keep the air clean and comfortable by replacing HVAC filters every few months, and clean the hood range filter over your stovetop. These types of simple maintenance will keep your property safe and secure for your family or your tenants. Deep cleans of other spaces are also paramount throughout the year.
Assessing for Problems
Most property maintenance is preventative, but you’ll also need to be on the lookout for any damages or worn out elements on both the exterior or the property as well as inside. Some of the main things to examine:
- Window screens
- Seals on fireplaces, cracked brickwork
- Cracks in foundation
- Exterior leaks or water buildup
- Soundness of interior walls (any damp?)
- Roof tiles
- Seals surrounding doors & windows
- Professional servicing for plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning
- Securing carpets on stairs and in other highly-trafficked areas
- Chipped paint
- Termite inspection, if applicable
Landscaping & Outdoor Maintenance
Often, one of the most emphasised areas of property maintenance for homeowners and developers is landscaping. Keeping your yard and gardens in prime condition is fairly easy with the proper maintenance. From lawn mowing to tree trimming to pruning vegetation, you can DIY your landscape or outsource the services to professionals (especially recommended for tree work). Exterior maintenance may also include incorporating hardscapes or non-organic features in your yard, such as decking, firepits, lighting fixtures, and more.
No matter the size or state of your outside property areas, a few key maintenance elements are consistently important. One, keep your gutters clear and free of debris. This minimises the threat of unwanted pests setting up home in hospitable environments as well as prevents the possible damage created by excess moisture or clogged runoff areas. Another key point in outdoor maintenance is to keep the grounds clear—especially walkways. Removing fallen leaves or debris from the perimeter of your home structure is vital for avoiding water damage or pest problems, and keeping walkways clear also promotes safety and a better looking property.
How Land Surveying Can Help
It may seem that property maintenance has little to do with land surveying, but this is untrue. At its heart, land surveying provides the secure, full knowledge of your property’s boundaries. Knowing your land’s limits is essential to ensuring proper ongoing maintenance is being completed both correctly and in the right places. If you are unaware of the existing boundaries, you may be missing vital maintenance issues that need attention. Alternately, you could inadvertently be performing work or updates on an adjacent property, wasting money and potentially encountering legal conflicts.
When planning for property updates, renovations, or additions, having the appropriate land surveys completed is absolutely essential. This is the only way to ensure a fully-permitted, safe project going forward.
Why be faced with the potential for expensive, challenging problems? Get the land surveys you need easily and quickly with a Nowra surveyor like Leslie & Thompson. Let us help your property maintenance and other updates proceed flawlessly and right on schedule.
