Eight Non-Negotiables Of Home Maintenance Every Homeowner Should Know

Nobody wants to spend time and money on things like sagging gutters or leaky faucets, but if you ignore small issues, they turn into big problems. You may not look forward to fixing things, but you have to do it anyway. At the very least, certain tasks need to stay on your home maintenance to-do list, no matter what.

Address any problems with the roof, gutters, HVAC, or plumbing immediately. Anything that can cause water damage, leaks, flooding, mold, or other complications is a top priority. Routine cleaning, service calls, and assessments of your home help you stay ahead of big issues. Create a budget plan for maintenance and stay on track with necessary tasks.

You don’t have to be a DIY expert or make your house perfect. Instead, focus on the things that keep your home running smoothly to help prevent larger problems.

Things You Shouldn’t Ignore About Home Maintenance

As a homeowner, maintenance is part of the package. Taking care of your house is a must. Not only is it likely one of, if not your largest, investment, it’s also the roof over your head. It makes sense that you want your home to look and function at its best.

A house doesn’t come with a built-in calendar that dings whenever something needs your attention. It’s up to you to stay on top of routine maintenance, like HVAC service and lawn care. You need to know what issues require your immediate attention, and how to keep it all organized. These are eight non-negotiables when it comes to taking care of your home.

1. Keep An Eye On Your Roof

The roof is one of your home’s biggest lines of defense against water. Ignore a tiny leak, and before you know it, you need a whole new roof. Then a $300 repair turns into a $15,000 expense. Look for missing, cracked, or damaged shingles, especially following a storm. Check for any signs of leaks in the attic or on ceilings, such as damp spots or drips.

If you notice there are certain areas of the roof where leaves and debris tend to collect, clean these spots regularly. Remove heavy snowfall from your roof as soon as possible. As your roof ages, or following a major storm, a professional roof inspection could be worth it. Depending on the type of inspection, the cost could range from $75 to over $600.

2. Functioning Gutters

Your gutters have one job and it's an important one: to move rainwater away from your house. Clean out gutters regularly, and check them after a storm or heavy leaf-drop seasons. If you don’t keep up with gutter maintenance, it can lead to clogs, which contribute to issues such as water pooling around the foundation, damage to siding and trim, and roof issues.

Check your gutters consistently, and handle problems as you notice them. Sagging, loose pieces, or crooked downspouts are all red flags. Gutter guards help lighten the load as far as maintenance goes, but they don’t give you a green light to ignore the gutters completely.

3. Your HVAC System

One of the most important parts of routine home maintenance is HVAC care. You need to change or replace air filters on time, and schedule service calls, typically twice a year; once before the summer and once before the winter. Keep outdoor units clear of leaves, grass, and debris, and act quickly if you notice unusual smells or noises. Other signs to look out for are weak airflow or rooms that aren’t heating or cooling properly.

HVAC systems always seem to pick the worst times to fail, so don’t let yours be one of them. Routine professional care helps it run more efficiently and can also increase the odds of catching potential issues early. Your wallet will thank you when you’re paying for a smaller repair instead of handing over a few extra hundred for an emergency service call.

4. Keep Water Where It Belongs

When you think about it, there are a lot of places in your home where water damage can happen. Bathrooms, the kitchen, laundry room, outdoor hoses, rain, sinks, pools, leaky roof, water heater, dishwasher, washing machine, and on and on.

Water damage is not a simple problem. It can intensify very quickly. If it gets out of hand, you end up with mildew, mold, rot, and all sorts of unpleasantries, which are usually expensive to fix. Look for signs of leaks or corrosion around appliances, the water heater, or under sinks. Promptly address dripping faucets, toilets that never stop running, and slow drains. A

Investigate unexplained water stains, low water pressure, or sudden changes in pressure. Make sure you know where your main water shutoff valve is and how to turn it off. If you’re leaving town, turn off the water so a small issue doesn’t turn into a major flood while you’re away.

5. Test Your Home’s Safety Systems

Your smoke alarm, security system, and other safety measures won’t do you much good if they don’t work. These devices don’t last forever, and batteries die, so it’s up to you to check them regularly. Replace batteries as needed and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for replacing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s also important to test security devices regularly to verify they’re working properly.

Have an action plan with all household members and keep fire extinguishers easily accessible. Also, have a simple emergency plan for things like severe weather, power outages, or burst pipes. As part of your home’s overall safety, check all windows and exterior doors. Address cracks, damage, faulty locks, and any other problems that compromise your home.

6. Walk Around The Outside Of Your House

If you spend most of your time indoors, you might miss important maintenance issues that crop up outside. Taking care of your home’s exterior is a big part of keeping everything in tip-top shape. Make a point to take a lap or two around your house a few times a year.

Check the siding, trim, brick, decks, doors, windows, fences, and the big one: your foundation. What should you look for? Cracks, peeling paint, loose boards, rot, standing water, gaps, and overgrown landscaping. Trim plants and trees so they don’t rub against your house or get close to utilities. Seal gaps to keep out pests, and make sure the ground slopes away from the foundation, not toward it.

7. Clean The Things You Usually Forget

Most people remember to do the typical tasks, like vacuuming, washing dishes, and cleaning toilets. But what about the things you don’t need to clean every week or even every month? It's easy to forget about them and doing so could cause a lot of problems. Remember to clean out the dryer vent, range hood filters, garbage disposal, vacuum cleaners, and exhaust fans. You may also need to vacuum refrigerator coils, have a chimney serviced, or have a septic tank cleaned out.

Cleaning improves efficiency and can even save you money. Well-maintained appliances tend to last longer. But you don’t need to create an enormous chore list to tackle at one time. Instead, choose a few items to address every few months so that, overall, you’re meeting the required monthly or yearly maintenance.

8. Put Home Maintenance On The Calendar And In The Budget

The biggest non-negotiable for home maintenance is ignoring it. You need a plan that includes a budget specifically for home repairs and upkeep. It’s not like maintenance is a surprise, so don’t treat it like an emergency. Plan for it by saving roughly 1% to 4% of your home’s value annually. You can divide this number by 12 to save monthly in a fund for maintenance expenses.

If your home is newer and worth $500,000, you might budget 2% ($10,000) toward annual maintenance. You put roughly $833 a month into an account to handle upkeep. If you don’t use it one month, it rolls over to the next, and so on. Then, when larger expenses come your way, you have the funds available. You also need a schedule. Put it on paper, or create a digital version, to serve as a reminder and checklist. It might look something like this:

• Spring — Clean gutters, check roof and exterior, service HVAC, test safety devices
• Summer — Check exterior, plumbing, windows and doors
• Fall — Clean gutters, service HVAC, check weatherproofing, test safety devices
• Winter — Assess heating, check exterior, check roof, assess pipes

You might also keep a separate schedule for specific appliances and other elements you need to clean. You could also keep a reminder on the appliance itself. A note taped inside the cabinet door below the kitchen sink will remind you when to clean the garbage disposal and change the water filter.

Know When To Call A Professional

Another thing to keep in mind regarding home maintenance is knowing your limits. Be realistic about what you can and can’t handle. Plenty of basic maintenance tasks you can do yourself, but some problems are better left to a professional. Electrical work, major plumbing problems, roofing repairs, HVAC issues, and anything involving gas can become dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. You could cause additional damage, leading to lengthier and costlier repairs.

If you’re unsure what to do or if you can do it, it’s better to get a pro to keep a small problem from turning into a major one. A professional might also spot issues you miss and help you understand what you need to address now versus what can wait. Even though your home’s condition is your responsibility, you don’t have to fix everything yourself. Your main goal is to keep it safe, functional, and well maintained, and sometimes that means hiring someone else to help.

Be A Smart Homeowner. Don't Skip Important Home Maintenance 

Home maintenance doesn’t have to take over your life, but it is a part of it. The goal is to notice problems early and address them before they get out of control. Keep up with routine tasks, and stay on top of regular cleaning, service calls, and repairs.

You don’t need to fix everything yourself. Know when to call in a pro, and enlist the help of other household members. Home maintenance isn’t anyone’s favorite thing, but a few minutes of checking and prompt attention can spare you from many headaches and can save you a lot of money in the long run.

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