Home guides
Simple jobs that keep your home healthy and your score moving in the right direction.
Lag pipes in the loft
Pipes in unheated lofts and garages can freeze and burst. Fit foam lagging (the split tube type) around exposed pipes and the cold water tank, leaving no gaps at joints and bends. Know where your stopcock is and check it turns.
Bleed your radiators
If radiators are cold at the top, trapped air is stopping them heating properly. With the heating off and cool, open the bleed valve with a radiator key until water appears, then close it. Check the boiler pressure afterwards and top up if it has dropped below 1 bar.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Press the test button on every alarm once a month. Replace batteries yearly and the whole alarm every 10 years. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas boiler or wood burner.
Keep damp and mould down
Open trickle vents, use extractor fans when cooking and showering, and dry clothes outside or near an open window. Wipe condensation from windows in the morning. Persistent damp patches can mean a leak, failed gutters or bridged damp-proofing, so get them checked.
Prepare for surface-water flooding
Keep gutters, gullies and drains clear, especially before autumn. Store valuables and documents upstairs or off the floor, and sign up for Environment Agency flood warnings for your area.
Reduce car crime and break-ins
Park in well-lit spots, keep keyless fobs in a signal-blocking pouch, and never leave valuables on show. At home, fit good locks to doors and ground-floor windows and consider a video doorbell or outside light.
Lower your heating bills
Top up loft insulation to 270mm, draught-proof doors and windows, and service your boiler every year. These are usually the cheapest ways to improve your energy rating.
Sale-ready checklist
Buyers’ surveyors usually flag: boiler service history, electrical safety, damp, roof and gutters, windows, and missing paperwork (certificates, warranties and building control sign-offs). Gather documents early and fix small issues before you list.
Questions to ask before you buy or sign
Ask when the boiler was last serviced and replaced, whether there’s been any damp or flooding, what works have been done and if there are certificates, and what the running costs really are. For flats, ask about the lease length, service charges and planned major works.
Renting: what your landlord should provide
A valid gas safety certificate (every 12 months), an electrical safety report (every 5 years), working smoke alarms on every floor and a carbon monoxide alarm near fuel-burning appliances, plus an Energy Performance Certificate.