7+ years writing insurance and personal finance content
Contributor to top media, including USA Today
A passionate personal finance advocate, Sarah’s writing has graced the pages of many of the personal finance and insurance industries’ top web publications.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga and crocheting.
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Even though most regular maintenance tasks are hardly glamorous, sticking to a robust home maintenance checklist allows you to protect your space.
Preventative maintenance allows you to avoid the drama and potentially higher expense of an emergency repair. Beyond maintaining a functioning property, regular home maintenance can help you avoid unnecessary homeowners insurance hiccups, like higher rates or cancellation of your policy.
Explore what to put on your home maintenance checklist below.
How to keep track of home maintenance tasks
Without a home maintenance checklist that breaks down the necessary tasks into separate seasonal issues and ongoing monthly maintenance, you might find it difficult to track the many tasks.
If you opt to approach home maintenance without a checklist, you might find yourself constantly dealing with major repairs instead of handling more manageable upkeep tasks throughout the year intended to prevent a catastrophe.
Monthly home maintenance tasks
Completing monthly maintenance tasks is a good idea. Otherwise, smaller issues might snowball out of control.
Use the list of basic maintenance tasks below as a starting point:
Change the air filter. Changing your air conditioning filter regularly prevents unnecessary strain on the appliance.
Test smoke alarms. Confirm the batteries work if you have battery-operated smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors. If they don’t, change the batteries out for a new set.
Check for pipe leaks. Look for small leaks under the sink to confirm everything is in working order.
Check the vents. A blocked air vent or dryer vent might cause a fire. Confirm these airways are clear each month.
Clean your kitchen appliances. A deep clean of your kitchen appliances each month can help you prolong the working life of these machines.
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When spring has sprung, you might jump into spring cleaning mode, making it the perfect time to tackle some maintenance tasks.
Consider adding the following items to your home maintenance list:[1]
Tune up your HVAC. A quick and inexpensiveHVAC tuneup now can help you prevent an emergency repair situation when things heat up in the summer.
Clean out the gutters. With more rain on the way, cleaning out your gutters can keep things flowing.
Trim up your yard. Spring is a great time to prune any trees or shrubs in your yard. If possible, keep the ground around your house clear of brush.
Powerwash the exterior. After a long winter, power washing your house can give it a fresh look for springtime.
Clean window screens. With more sunlight streaming through, it’s a good time to clean your window screens and let more light in.
Flush your water heater. A flush of your water heater prevents bacteria and other growth from building up.
Get a pest inspection. As the weather warms, some pests become more active. Hire a pest professional to inspect your home for signs of pests and take any necessary protective action against destructive critters, like termites.
DIY or Hire a Professional?
Although hiring a professional comes at a higher cost, paying the premium is sometimes worth it for major projects. But the DIY route could make sense if you have a handy background or want to try your hand at a small project. If it seems too complex, hire a professional to avoid the additional costs to fix the project if you mess up.
Summer home maintenance checklist
With longer days and warm temperatures, summertime might be the right time to catch up on these home maintenance tasks:[1][2]
Check for leaks. Look around kitchen appliances, toilets, and inside cabinets to identify any potential leaks.
Inspect the garage. Confirm the garage door is in working order and that the space is clear of any pests.
Evaluate drainage around the house. Summer rains can make drainage issues obvious. Since drainage issues can cause foundation issues, work on solving these problems as soon as possible.
Check the roof. Look for anyroof leaksin the attic and any broken shingles. Also, confirm that the flashing around the chimney, plumbing vents, and any skylights is still operational.
Fall home maintenance checklist
As the seasons change, autumn is the best time to prepare your house for the winter weather ahead.
Inspect the chimney and fireplace. Make sure everything is in working order before lighting your first fire of the season. Also, take the time toclean out your fireplaceand chimney before the cold weather moves in.
Fix cracks in the driveway. Changing temperatures throughout the winter can make relatively small cracks worse. If possible, take preventative measures to fix any cracks before the weather cools off.
Drain exterior plumbing. Take time to drain exterior plumbing, such as the garden hose and sprinkler system, to avoid burst pipes later. Also, wrap exposed pipes.
Trim shrubs. If you have shrubs near your home, trim them to ensure they don’t act as a pathway for pests to enter your home throughout the winter.
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Winter home maintenance checklist
Although it can be more difficult to tackle outdoor tasks in the winter, it’s still important to check off home maintenance tasks during the winter season.
Clean drains. Clean out the drains in the sinks, tubs, showers, and dishwashers around your home.
Vacuum appliance coils. Use a vacuum to clean out the refrigerator and freezer coils to keep your appliance running smoothly.
Check for basement leaks. After storms, check out the basement to spot and fix any leaks. If your basement has asump pump, check it throughout the season.
Break up ice dams. Ice dams sometimes form in gutters, which can weigh down your roof and cause water damage. Check your gutters and roof regularly to confirm an ice dam isn’t forming.
Protect your pipes. If you plan to go out of town for the winter, set the thermostat to awinter temperatureof at least 55°F to 60°F to prevent pipe issues.
Home maintenance checklist FAQs
A home maintenance checklist can provide a straightforward way to stay on top of necessary tasks. Find the answers you might need below.
What home maintenance should you be doing?
The type of home maintenance you should be doing varies based on the season. But at the very least, plan on changing your air conditioner filter and checking your smoke detectors’ batteries each month.
What’s a home maintenance plan?
A home maintenance plan lays out exactly what type of ongoing tasks and repairs you plan to do to keep your home in working order. The complexity of a home maintenance plan varies based on your property and expectations.
What’s the most important item for home maintenance?
No single home maintenance task outranks the others. But some important home maintenance tasks include changing your air filter regularly, cleaning out your gutters, vacuuming your refrigerator coils, and inspecting your roof for leaks. Any task that supports a clean 4-point home inspection, including the roof, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, is especially worthwhile for homeowners.
For a new homeowner, what are some important tips for home maintenance and upkeep?
As you get comfortable with homeownership, start by sticking to a maintenance checklist. Initially, you might hire a professional to handle all the tasks. But as you tackle some of the smaller tasks, you might gain the confidence you need to tackle bigger home maintenance projects if that’s something you want to pursue.
Sarah Sharkey is a personal finance writer who enjoys helping people make savvy financial decisions. She covered insurance and personal finance topics. You can find her work on Business Insider, Money Under 30, Rocket Mortgage, Bankrate, and more. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga and crocheting.
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