Home Maintenance Checklist UK: What to Do and When

Almost every expensive repair in a home starts out as a cheap one that nobody got round to. This is the plain version: what needs doing around a UK home and how often, a month-by-month calendar to run it from, the checks that are a legal duty for landlords and the records worth keeping.

Almost every expensive repair in a home starts out as a cheap one. A gutter blocks, water runs down the wall instead of into the drain and two winters later the plaster is coming off in the back bedroom.

None of that is difficult to prevent. The problem is that home maintenance is not one job. It is about thirty small jobs on about eight different schedules and no single one of them ever feels urgent enough to do today.

This is the whole list, written out plainly: what needs doing around a typical UK home and how often, a month-by-month calendar to run it from and the records worth keeping once each job is done.

The short version

Have a gas boiler serviced every year: Gas Safe Register recommends it and most boiler warranties require it, though no law makes an owner-occupier do it.
Get the gutters cleared twice a year, in spring and again once the autumn leaves are down.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every month and press the RCD test button on the fuse box every six months.
Have the electrics inspected at least every ten years in a home you live in; that is a recommendation, not a legal duty.
Landlords have legal duties with fixed dates, including a gas safety check every 12 months and an electrical inspection at least every five years.
In most leasehold flats the freeholder looks after the roof, gutters and outside walls through the service charge, so check the lease before booking anyone.
For every job, keep the date, the cost, who did it and any certificate, because guessing later costs money.

Why a schedule beats a list of jobs

A list of jobs tells you what to do. It does not tell you when. And when is the part people actually get wrong.

Almost nothing in a house needs doing continuously. It needs doing once a year, or twice a year, or every ten years, on a schedule that has nothing to do with when you happen to think about it. A boiler service is no more urgent in March than in February, but it is a great deal more urgent in October than in November.

So the useful version of a maintenance checklist is not really a list. It is a calendar. There is one further down this page.

How often each job needs doing

The intervals below are the ones most UK homes run to. Where an official body or trade body publishes an interval, it is named; where none exists, the interval is common practice. Adjust them for your own house: a home under trees needs its gutters clearing more often than one on an open street; a wood burner in daily use needs sweeping more often than one lit at Christmas.

Job	How often	Why that interval
Gas boiler serviced	Every 12 months	Gas Safe Register recommends a yearly check and service unless the manufacturer says otherwise
Oil boiler or wood burner serviced	Every 12 months	OFTEC and HETAS both recommend at least once a year
Chimney swept	At least twice a year for wood, once for smokeless fuel	HETAS guidance; soot is a fire and carbon monoxide risk
Gutters and downpipes cleared	Twice a year	No official interval; blocked gutters are behind a lot of damp walls
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested	Monthly	GOV.UK fire safety advice says at least monthly
Boiler pressure checked	Monthly in the heating season	Usually 1 to 1.5 bar (check the manual); a slow drop often means a leak
Radiators bled	Once a year, before autumn	Trapped air stops the top of the radiator heating
RCD trip switch tested	Every six months	The wiring regulations' notice says six-monthly; the clocks changing is a good prompt
Extractor fans and filters cleaned	Every six months	A blocked fan is why the bathroom keeps growing mould
Stopcock turned	Twice a year	A seized stopcock gets discovered during a leak, not before
Gully grates cleared of leaves	Once a year	Silt and leaves back water up the downpipe
Roof looked over from the ground	Once a year and after storms	Slipped tiles are usually visible with binoculars
Fencing and decking treated	Every one to two years	Treatment is cheap, replacement is not
Septic tank or treatment plant emptied	At least once a year (England)	Environment Agency rules, or the manufacturer's interval

None of these is a big job on its own. The reason they slip is that they are spread across the year and not one of them announces itself. A blocked drain beyond the gully, a roof repair or anything up a ladder above the ground floor is a job for a professional, not a weekend. The jobs that come round less than once a year, from the electrical inspection to replacing alarms, are further down.

Spring: check what winter did

Spring is for damage assessment. Something has almost certainly moved, cracked or blocked between November and March and this is the cheapest moment to find it.

Look over the roof from the ground (binoculars help), especially after the last storm of the winter
Get the gutters and downpipes cleared of everything that came down in autumn and sat there
Check external paintwork and window frames for bare or soft timber
Clear leaves and silt from the gully grates before the spring rain
Check fences and gates that have taken a winter of wind
Press the RCD test button when the clocks go forward
Service the garden tools and get the mower going before you need it

Summer: do the outside jobs

Dry weather and long evenings make this the window for paint, timber and anything that needs scaffolding. It is also when the trades who do the high-up jobs are easiest to book.

Paint and treat external woodwork, fences and decking; upstairs windows, fascias and soffits are a job for a decorator with proper access
Get any brickwork that is losing its mortar repointed
Check the loft for insulation gaps, daylight through the roof, damp or wildlife
Clean the extractor fans and their filters
Have the chimney swept while the fire is not in use, when sweeps are easier to book
Book the boiler service for late summer rather than October, when every engineer is busy; what a boiler service includes explains how to tell a proper one from a quick look

Autumn: get ready for the heating

This is the busiest stretch of the maintenance year, because everything that keeps the house warm and dry has to work from here on.

Bleed the radiators and check the boiler pressure
Run the heating for an hour before you actually need it, so a failure is an inconvenience rather than an emergency
Get the gutters cleared again once the leaves are down
Lag outside taps and exposed pipes
Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, then the RCD when the clocks go back
Check the loft hatch and the draught proofing

Winter: watch the things that freeze

Winter maintenance is mostly watching rather than doing.

Know where the stopcock is and check that it still turns
Keep an eye on the boiler pressure gauge
Look for condensation and early mould on cold walls and window reveals; condensation, damp or mould explains how to tell which you have
Keep snow and leaves clear of air bricks and boiler flues
If you burn wood most days, book the second sweep of the season
After a storm, look over the roof, fences and gutters again from the ground

A month-by-month calendar

Here is the same list laid out as a year. It assumes a house with a gas boiler; move a job a month either way to suit your area and your diary.

Month	Jobs
Every month	Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. In the heating season, glance at the boiler pressure.
January	Check the stopcock turns. Look for condensation and mould on cold walls. Keep air bricks and the boiler flue clear.
February	Look in the loft for leaks after the worst weather. Check fences and gates after storms.
March	Clocks go forward: test the RCD. Look over the roof from the ground. Book the spring gutter clean.
April	Gutters and downpipes cleared. Gully grates cleared. Check paintwork and window frames for soft timber.
May	Clean extractor fans and filters. Get quotes for any outside work spring turned up.
June	Outside painting and repairs while it is dry. Check the loft insulation.
July	Book the boiler service, the sweep and any stove or oil boiler service for late summer. Treat fences and decking.
August	Chimney swept and stove serviced before the heating season. Septic tank emptied if it is due.
September	Boiler serviced. Bleed the radiators. Turn the stopcock. Run the heating for an hour as a test.
October	Clocks go back: test the RCD. Lag outside taps and exposed pipes. Check the draught proofing.
November	Gutters cleared once the leaves are down. Look over the roof and gutters after the first big storm.
December	Second sweep if you burn wood most days. File the year's invoices and certificates.

Every five years and longer

The jobs that come round once a decade are the ones nobody remembers, because there is never a season that prompts them. Write down when each was last done and set one reminder for when it falls due.

Check	How often	Law or advice?
Electrical inspection (EICR), home you live in	At least every 10 years, sooner if the wiring is old	Recommended by Electrical Safety First, not a legal duty
Electrical inspection, rented home	At least every 5 years	Law for landlords in all four nations
Sealed ten-year smoke alarms	Replace every 10 years	GOV.UK fire safety advice
Carbon monoxide alarms	Replace by the date on the alarm, typically 5 to 10 years	Gas Safe Register
Outside paintwork and woodwork	Every 3 to 5 years, depending on exposure	Common practice
Boiler	Start planning a replacement from about 10 years	Energy Saving Trust gives an average life of 10 to 15 years
EPC	Lasts 10 years; you need one to sell or let	Law when selling or letting

A roof has no interval. If you cannot see it properly from the ground, or the house is older, ask a roofer to look while they are up for something else and act on whatever your survey said when you bought. The boiler, the windows and the appliances each have a working life too; how long home appliances last covers the usual ranges and the signs one is near the end. You can look up your EPC's date with the free EPC checker.

Houses and flats are different

In a house, everything on this page is yours, from the ridge tiles to the gully grates.

Most flats in England and Wales are leasehold. The lease decides who looks after what and leases vary. Typically the freeholder or a management company maintains the roof, the gutters, the outside walls and the shared parts. They recover the cost through the service charge. Windows are the classic grey area: some leases make them yours, others the freeholder's.

What is usually yours in a flat:

the boiler service, if the boiler is yours
the alarms, extractor fans and radiators
knowing where your stopcock is, which may be in a kitchen cupboard, the hallway or a shared riser
the sealant round the bath and shower, because a leak into the flat below is yours to fix quickly
reporting what you spot outside (a blocked gutter, a slipped tile) to the managing agent in writing and keeping a copy

In blocks in England with storeys over 11 metres, the building's responsible person must check the communal fire doors every three months and make best endeavours to check every flat's front door once a year. Let them in. Do not remove or disable the self-closer on your front door.

What the service charge pays for and how the reserve fund works are in service charges and ground rent explained.

In Scotland flats are owned outright rather than leasehold. The title deeds, or the Tenement Management Scheme where they are silent, decide how owners share the roof, the outside walls and the other common parts, often through a property factor.

What evidence to keep

The maintenance itself is only half of it. The other half is the record.

Two things depend on it. The first is you: in three years you will genuinely not remember whether the chimney was swept last autumn or the one before and the honest answer will be to pay for it again. The second is whoever buys the house. A buyer's conveyancer asks what has been done and "quite a lot, I think" is not an answer that moves a sale along.

For every job, write down five things: the date, what was done, who did it, what it cost and the certificate or invoice if there was one. Then keep the paper that goes with it:

Boiler service. The service record with the readings on it, plus the Benchmark book from the back of the manual.
Gas or oil installation. The Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. Gas Safe Register can send a replacement for £8.40 for gas work going back to October 2011; OFTEC reissues oil certificates for a fee.
Electrics. Every Electrical Installation Certificate, Minor Works Certificate and EICR, plus the building regulations certificate for notifiable work such as a new fuse box.
Chimney and stove. The sweep's certificate or receipt each time, plus the HETAS certificate from installation.
Gutters, roof and outside work. The invoice, a dated photo of the finished job and any guarantee.
Windows and doors. The FENSA or CERTASS certificate and the installer's guarantee.
Appliances. The receipt, the model and serial number and any extended warranty.

If you are missing records from before your time, building your home's service history covers how to recover them.

If a spreadsheet is not your thing, homehogs can hold the service records, invoices and warranties against the boiler or the job they belong to and remind you before the next one falls due. Whatever you use, the principle is the same: decide the interval once, record what you did on the day you did it and stop trying to remember.

Sources

Last fact-checked 5 October 2026.

Let the house tell you what is due

homehogs keeps your maintenance routines, reminds you before each one falls due and files the certificate or invoice against the job, so the record builds itself while you live there.

Start free

Alex Wilson

Founder

Common questions

How often should a boiler be serviced?

Once every twelve months. Gas Safe Register recommends an annual check and service for every gas appliance unless the manufacturer says otherwise. Most manufacturers also make it a condition of the warranty. It is not a legal requirement for an owner-occupier. Book it in late summer rather than autumn, when engineers are easier to get hold of. If you let the property, a separate annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer is a legal duty.

How often should gutters be cleaned?

Twice a year for most homes, with the more important of the two after the autumn leaves have come down. A house under trees may need it three or four times a year. There is no official interval. Gutters above a single storey are a job for a gutter cleaner with a vacuum system or proper access rather than somebody up a ladder.

Is an annual gas safety check a legal requirement for homeowners?

Not for owner-occupiers. If you live in your own home there is no legal requirement to have a gas safety check, although an annual service is still strongly advisable and is usually required by the boiler warranty. Landlords are in a different position: a gas safety check on every gas appliance and flue they provide is a legal duty every twelve months and the tenant must be given a copy of the record.

How often should the electrics in a house be checked?

Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection at least every ten years in a home you live in, or sooner if the wiring is old or you have had significant work done. That is a recommendation, not a legal duty. In a privately rented home it is a legal duty at least every five years in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Between inspections, press the test button on each RCD in the fuse box every six months to check it still cuts the power.

What home maintenance should be done in autumn?

Autumn is the busiest point of the maintenance year because everything that keeps the house warm and dry has to work from then on. Bleed the radiators, check the boiler pressure and run the heating for an hour before you need it so a failure is an inconvenience rather than an emergency. Get the gutters cleared once the leaves are down, lag outside taps and exposed pipes, check the draught proofing and test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

Who is responsible for maintenance in a leasehold flat?

The lease decides. Typically the freeholder or a management company looks after the roof, gutters, outside walls and shared parts and recovers the cost through the service charge, while you look after the inside of your flat, including your own boiler, alarms and fittings. Windows vary from lease to lease. Read the repairing clauses in your lease. Report anything you spot outside to the managing agent in writing.

What maintenance records should I keep?

For every job, keep the date, what was done, who did it, what it cost and any certificate or invoice. The ones that matter most are the boiler service records and Benchmark book, building regulations certificates for gas, oil and electrical work, electrical certificates and reports, window certificates such as FENSA, the chimney sweep's certificate and guarantees for any work. They help the next engineer, keep warranties valid and answer a buyer's questions when you sell.