Essential property maintenance tips for the Summer

In this month's edition, we're looking forward to the warmer months with our top tips on how to keep your property cooler in the Summer, alongside advice for essential property maintenance.

Elsewhere, the Government has relaxed planning laws for homeowners looking to extend their properties and mortgage approvals have hit their highest level in over two years. 

Essential property maintenance tips for the Summer

 

Now that summer is availing itself, many of us are making the most of our outdoor spaces and enjoying the uptake in the weather. However, whilst we enjoy being outside don’t forget to keep your property ticking along during the summer months. Here are a few maintenance tips that should keep your property in tip-top condition over the next few months.

Check your gutters
After the cold winter months with freezing temperatures, gutters are at risk of leaks and especially following the recent spell of rainy weather which can move debris into gutters, summer is the ideal time to check their health. Leaky and unsecured guttering can lead to bigger problems of water damage to your property, as well as being a fall hazard. Whilst you’re checking your gutters, go ahead and check your drainage system at the same time to ensure that there aren’t any blockages there, too.

Doors and windows
Similar to your guttering, doors and windows have been through a rough period by the time summer is in full swing. With the cold months of winter potentially cracking door and window seals, followed by spring showers causing further damage, it is imperative to check your doors and windows. Of course, if you have double glazing this is less of an issue, but checking that your seals are in order is certainly a good use of half an hour during the summer to stop any problems later on in the year.

Central heating
When the weather heats up, the temptation is simply to turn off the central heating, give the radiators a holiday and then start everything back up once temperatures inevitably plummet. Keeping the heating on a low-level through the colder summer days will keep the central heating system ticking over and also prevent any damp issues. During the summer, bleeding your radiators will also ensure that they remain efficient – if you’re unsure of how to do this then a quick search online will direct you to some intuitive videos. If you go on holiday during the summer, the same applies; keeping the heating on a low level may save you larger problems in the long run.

Sound the alarms
Whilst a check of your smoke and CO2 alarms may not seem like a particularly summery activity to be carrying out, you should be checking these units several times a year. By building these checks into your summer list of tasks, you are keeping yourself and others safe.

Insulation throughout the seasons
Updating your insulation may intuitively seem like a winter task, but part of keeping your home cool and comfortable in the summer is good insulation as this will stop heat penetrating the building. Of course, when it comes to the winter months you will also reap the benefits of insulation as it will keep the heat from escaping, ensuring a cosy property when the temperatures begin to plummet.

Government relaxes planning laws over property extensions

 

A formerly temporary right that gave homeowners the ability to extend their properties up to eight metres without formally seeking planning permissions has now been made permanent, amidst a package of planning reforms from the Government.

If you have been thinking of adding some extra space to your property, then this will come as welcome news, as the protracted permissions can now be avoided altogether. Under the new legislation, terraced or semi-detached homes may add a single-storey extension of up to 6 metres and detached properties see this increased to 8 metres.

Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP said: “These measures will help families extend their properties without battling through time-consuming red tape.

“This is part of a package of reforms to build more, better, faster and make the housing market work – and sits alongside our drive to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.”

Further to changes for the housing sector, business owners are also privy to favourable planning rules; shops are now able to change to office space without the need for a full planning application. These business reforms build on changes which now allow businesses to change the use of buildings from takeaways to new homes without the need for a full planning application.

Planning permission can equate to a minefield of red tape for homeowners looking to add space to their current property, often being a key factor in a decision whether to extend or not. Interestingly, 15% of Britons state that they are unable to remember whether they have the correct planning for amendments to their properties which could cause headaches when they decide to sell up and the requisite paperwork is demanded. With over 100,000 extensions completed under the previously temporary rules since 2014, an increase in home improvements could now be seen as sellers take advantage of the newly-embedded legislation.

Keeping your property cool during this Summer

 

Most of us spend the colder months of the year dreaming about the summer, but it can be easy to forget how inhospitable the heat can make your home.

Ensure you have all the fun in the sun with none of the discomfort with our guide to keeping your home cool this summer.

Use your windows and curtains
It’s a shame to shut all that natural light out of your house, but unfortunately, it comes with a good deal of heat. Closing all your curtains or following the sun’s progression across your house will seriously lower the temperature.

However, as soon as the sun has gone down, we would recommend throwing open the curtains and windows so that you can let in as much of that cool evening air as possible.

Build a makeshift air con
Can’t afford the electric bill and initial cost of an air conditioning unit? You can create your own air con by placing ice/frozen ice packs in a washing up bowl. You can then place it at an angle in front of a regular fan, which will circulate cold air around the room.

Switch off the electrical appliances
Every single one of your appliances gives off heat whilst they are on. During the hottest hours of the day you should avoid using washing machines, dishwashers, hobs and ovens. Lighting should also be avoided when the sun goes down.

Drink plenty of water and eat cold
Staying hydrated and eating cold food like salad will help you to keep your body temperature down and avoids using any heat-generating appliances.

Sleep on the lower floor
Have you ever headed upstairs when it's sunny, only to find that the upper floors are far warmer than the lower floor? This is because heat always rises to the highest possible point. If you are struggling to sleep, ditch the sweltering upper floor and sleep downstairs – either on your couch or your airbed.

Insulate
You probably see a lot of advice articles recommending insulation for keeping your home warm in the summer, but did you know that it also keeps the heat out in the summer? If you don’t already have insulation in your home, it will practically pay for itself in the money saved on energy bills.

Mortgage approvals at highest level for over two years

 

After months of stifled activity caused by Brexit uncertainty, the UK property market continues to show signs of rude health. The latest example of this comes from mortgage approvals, which according to reports reached their highest levels in over two years during the month of April.

Industry body UK Finance have released figures detailing that British banks approved a total of 42,989 mortgages across the month of April. This was an increase of almost 2,500 from March’s total and marks the biggest annual increase seen in the market since March 2016. Remortgaging approvals also benefited from an increase, with a 5% rise from March to April and an 11% year-on-year rise.

The much-publicised delay of Brexit isn’t the only factor in this rise; unemployment levels across the country fell to their lowest levels since 1974 during the month of March and strong earnings growth alongside low interest rates have also played their part. Still, the delay of our exit from the European Union appears to have galvanised house buyers and encouraged them to proceed with their property purchases

“April’s marked rise in mortgage approvals suggests that housing market activity may well have got at least some temporary support from the avoidance of a disruptive Brexit at the end of March,” said Howard Archer, chief economic adviser at EY ITEM Club, an economic forecasting group.

It will be difficult for the market to sustain such numbers, especially as the year wears on and October draws nearer. Consumer confidence across the country isn’t as strong in comparison to France or Germany for example, according to the European Commission’s data, but given the shifting nature of the market over the last year, this certainly doesn’t represent a surprise.