Seasonal Property Maintenance Checklist Template

What the Seasonal Property Maintenance Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Phase 1: Plan the Round

   4 tasks

   Answer the questions on the first task first. They show this season’s jobs, the communal areas phase for a block, the notice or empty-property tasks, and short notes for your country. Every due date counts from the round start date in working days, and the visit falls on the fifth working day.

   • Record the property, the season and who does what — the property, the round start date, the season, what the round covers, whether the home is occupied, the country, and the property manager, the maintenance lead and the approver
   • Pull last round’s findings and the open repairs — items carried over from the last round, open repair requests, warranties and guarantees on recent work, and anything the tenant has reported since
   • Check the dates of the legal safety checks — the gas safety check, the electrical inspection, the alarm records, the legionella risk assessment and the energy performance certificate, each a separate check with its own date, so book any that fall due rather than folding them into this round
   • Book the visit, the trades and the equipment — a date for the visit, anyone needed for work at height or on the boiler, ladders or access equipment, keys, and a phone or camera for photos
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Phase 2: Notice & Access

   5 tasks

   An occupied home gets written notice before anyone visits. An empty home gets its own checks instead, and a block’s residents are told about work in the communal areas.

   • Give the tenant written notice of the visit — shown when the home is occupied: in writing, at least 24 hours before, with the date, the time window, the purpose and who will attend
   • Confirm the appointment and ask what needs looking at — shown when the home is occupied: who will be in, pets, keys and parking, and any repair or problem the tenant wants looked at on the day
   • Check the empty property before the visit — shown when the home is vacant: heating set to protect against frost, taps and showers run at least once a week, post and security checked, and the insurer’s conditions for an empty property met
   • Tell residents about work in the communal areas — shown for a block’s communal areas: a notice in the block or a message to each flat with the dates, any areas or services affected and a contact
   • Arrange access to lofts, cupboards, plant and outside areas — keys for loft hatches, meter cupboards, plant rooms and bin stores, and agreement from a neighbour or the freeholder where a ladder or scaffold needs their land
3. 3
   Phase 3

   Phase 3: Seasonal Jobs

   16 tasks

   Only the four jobs for the season chosen on the first task appear. Spring puts right the winter’s wear, summer suits outside work, autumn gets the property ready for the cold, and winter keeps the home warm, dry and its pipes intact. These jobs are this template’s practice, not law, except where a task names a rule.

   • Spring: check the roof, chimney and flashings after winter — shown for the spring round: slipped or missing tiles or slates, lifted flashings, chimney pots and pointing, and moss build-up, checked from the ground or by a roofer
   • Spring: clear the gutters, gullies and drains of winter debris — shown for the spring round: leaves, moss and silt cleared, joints checked for leaks, and downpipes and gullies running freely in heavy rain
   • Spring: check outside walls, render and paintwork for frost damage — shown for the spring round: cracked render, failed pointing, flaking paint and failed seals around windows and doors, with anything to decorate added to the summer round
   • Spring: plan garden, tree and hedge work around nesting birds — shown for the spring round: fences, gates and paths checked, and any hedge or tree cutting planned after a check for nests in use, with consent first for protected trees
   • Summer: carry out outside decoration and repairs in dry weather — shown for the summer round: painting of windows, doors, fascias and soffits, and the repointing and render repairs approved after the spring round, booked while the weather is dry; anything new goes on this round’s findings list for approval
   • Summer: check trees, hedges and plants close to the building — shown for the summer round: overhanging branches, roots near drains and walls, and ivy on walls and gutters, with nests checked before any cutting
   • Summer: check ventilation, window restrictors and security — shown for the summer round: windows open and close, restrictors on upper-floor windows work, trickle vents are open, extractor fans run, and locks and outside lights work
   • Summer: book the boiler service and the autumn gutter clear — shown for the summer round: the boiler service booked before the heating season, with the gas safety check kept on its own date unless the engineer does both, and gutter clearing booked for after leaf fall
   • Autumn: clear gutters, downpipes and drains after leaf fall — shown for the autumn round: leaves and debris cleared from gutters, valleys, downpipes and gullies, with leaks and loose brackets noted for repair before the winter rain
   • Autumn: test the heating before the cold weather — shown for the autumn round: the boiler fires, every radiator heats and is bled if cold at the top, the thermostat and timer work, and the tenant knows how to use the controls and top up the boiler pressure if it needs it
   • Autumn: protect pipes, tanks and outside taps from frost — shown for the autumn round: lagging on pipes and tanks in the loft and on outside walls, outside taps isolated and drained, and the stopcock working, labelled and known to the tenant
   • Autumn: check windows, doors and draught-proofing — shown for the autumn round: seals, draught strips, door thresholds and letterboxes, with extractor fans and trickle vents left working so the home stays warm without condensation
   • Winter: check the home is keeping warm — shown for the winter round: the boiler shows no fault codes and holds its pressure, every room heats, hot water reaches the taps, and a tenant who struggles to heat the home is offered advice or pointed to support
   • Winter: check for frozen or burst pipe risks — shown for the winter round: lagging still in place, the loft hatch closed, outside taps off, and the tenant told how to turn off the water and who to call in a freeze or a leak
   • Winter: look for damp, condensation and mould — shown for the winter round: behind furniture, in window reveals, bathrooms and cupboards on outside walls, with the cause found and dealt with rather than the mould only wiped away
   • Winter: check the roof, gutters and paths after storms and snow — shown for the winter round: slipped tiles, blocked or broken gutters, fallen branches and fences, and ice on outside steps and paths the landlord looks after
4. 4
   Phase 4

   Phase 4: Exterior & Grounds

   4 tasks

   Check these on every round, whatever the season. In England, where section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 applies, the landlord must keep in repair the structure and exterior of the home, including drains, gutters and external pipes.

   • Look over the roof, chimney and gutters from the ground — missing or slipped tiles, sagging or overflowing gutters, damp patches or staining on the walls below, and anything that needs a closer look by a roofer
   • Check drains, gullies and outside pipes run freely — gullies clear, inspection covers in place, no smell or standing water, and downpipes and waste pipes firmly fixed and not leaking
   • Check walls, windows and outside doors — cracks, damp, rot and failed seals, windows that open and lock, outside doors that close and lock, and no cracked glazing
   • Check paths, steps, boundaries and gardens — trip hazards, loose handrails and steps, fences and gates, outside lighting, and the parts of the garden the tenancy says the tenant looks after
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Phase 5: Heating, Water & Ventilation

   4 tasks

   Applies only when the round includes a let home; it is hidden for a round of a block’s communal areas only, whose shared plant and water tanks are checked in Phase 7. In England, section 11 also covers the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and heating water. For legionella in a home, HSE’s advice is to keep the hot water hot, the cold water cold and keep it moving.

   • Check the boiler, heating and controls — the boiler’s pressure and any fault codes, the service date, radiators and valves, the thermostat and timer, and signs of a problem such as staining or sooting, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
   • Check hot water and the legionella controls — hot water reaching the taps hot, a hot water cylinder storing water at 60°C, a tight lid on any cold water tank, little-used outlets run, showerheads clean, and the risk assessment reviewed if anything has changed
   • Check for leaks and test the stopcock — under sinks and around baths, showers, toilets and the boiler, stains on ceilings below, and the stopcock turning off and on and easy to reach
   • Check ventilation, extractor fans and signs of damp — extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom running and clearing steam, trickle vents open, and early signs of condensation or mould noted for the findings list
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Phase 6: Alarms & Safety

   4 tasks

   Applies only when the round includes a let home; it is hidden for a round of a block’s communal areas only. Test every alarm on each round. The law in each UK nation sets where alarms go; in England it asks for them to be checked on the day a new tenancy begins and repaired or replaced when a reported alarm is found faulty. Testing them each season is this template’s practice.

   • Test every smoke alarm and heat alarm — the alarms the rules require for your country in place, each one tested with its test button, its expiry date checked, and any that fail replaced the same day
   • Test every carbon monoxide alarm — an alarm in every room the rules require, usually where there is a boiler, fire or stove, each one tested and in date, and the tenant shown how to test it
   • Look for signs of unsafe gas, electrical or solid fuel appliances — staining or sooting around boilers and fires, blocked flues or air vents, damaged sockets, scorch marks and overloaded adaptors, with nothing dismantled and a Gas Safe registered engineer or an electrician called
   • Check escape routes and the tenant’s safety information — hallways and stairs clear, fire doors closing where the home has them, and the tenant knowing where the stopcock, the consumer unit and any gas shut-off are
7. 7
   Phase 7

   Phase 7: Communal Areas

   4 tasks

   Applies only when the round covers a block’s communal areas; it is hidden for a single house or flat. It works alongside the block’s fire risk assessment, which is a separate document with its own review date.

   • Check communal lighting and emergency lighting — stairs, landings, entrances, car parks and bin stores lit, timers and sensors set for the season, and emergency lighting tested as the fire risk assessment says
   • Check fire doors, escape routes and fire safety equipment — communal fire doors closing fully on their self-closers, stairs and escape routes clear of stored items, and signs, extinguishers and alarm panels as the fire risk assessment lists them
   • Check bin stores, roof access, plant rooms and shared water tanks — bin stores clean and clear, roof and plant room doors locked, lids tight on shared water tanks, and shared pumps and boilers serviced on their dates
   • Check communal grounds, paths and car parks — paths and steps free of trip hazards, leaves and ice, drains clear, fences and gates secure, and trees looked at for dead or overhanging branches
8. 8
   Phase 8

   Phase 8: Findings, Repair Plan & Approval

   4 tasks

   List everything found, decide what needs a contractor, price it and get the approver’s decision. Nothing after the approval can be completed until the approver records a decision, so no contractor is booked without it.

   • Record every finding with photos and a priority — each item with where it is, what was found, its priority, and whether it can be done in-house, needs a contractor or can wait for a later round, with anything dangerous made safe on the day
   • Get quotes for the contractor works — shown when a contractor is needed: a quote for each job, more than one for larger jobs if your management agreement asks for it, with the scope, price and start date, and the contractor’s insurance and any registration checked
   • Prepare the repair plan and costs — every repair and contractor job with its priority, price, timing and who will do it, the total against the spending limit, and items moved to a later round with the reason
   • Approve the repair plan and costs — the approver records Approved, Approved with changes or Not approved, with any changes or reasons, before any contractor is booked
9. 9
   Phase 9

   Phase 9: Repairs, Records & Next Round

   6 tasks

   Book only what was approved, check the work before the invoice is paid, keep the records together and set up the next round.

   • Book the approved contractors — shown when a contractor is needed: each contractor instructed in writing with the approved scope and price, access arranged with the tenant with written notice, and a date for the work
   • Update the tenant on what was found and what happens next — shown when the home is occupied: what was checked, what will be repaired and when, what they can do, such as reporting faults and keeping vents open, and who to contact
   • Carry out the small repairs — the in-house jobs on the approved plan done, such as bleeding a radiator, resealing a bath, replacing an alarm or easing a sticking door
   • Check and sign off the contractor works — shown when a contractor is needed: the work inspected or photographed when done, any certificate or warranty received, and each invoice checked against the approved quote before it is paid
   • File the round’s records — the visit notes, photos, findings, approval, invoices and certificates kept with the property’s records, so you can show when you checked, what you found and when you fixed it
   • Set up the next seasonal round — the next season’s round started or scheduled, its start date set, and the items moved to it noted on its first task