Maintenance & Repairs
Regular home maintenance that prevents expensive repairs, with monthly, seasonal and yearly checklists, winter prep and what to do when something breaks.
Checklists
Keeping your home in good repair
Most costly home repairs start small: a blocked gutter that leads to a leak, a dirty furnace filter that strains the system, or a pipe that freezes because it wasn't insulated. A simple routine catches these early.
Our home maintenance checklist breaks the work into monthly, seasonal and yearly jobs, from testing alarms and changing filters to servicing heating and cooling and checking the roof.
Cold weather brings its own risks:
- How to winterize your home covers heating, drafts, gutters and safety checks to do in fall.
- How to prevent frozen pipes explains which pipes are at risk, how to protect them and what to do if one bursts.
If you'd like to handle more repairs yourself, start with DIY home improvement for beginners. For jobs that need a professional, see how to hire a contractor. Wondering whether a home warranty would help with repair bills? See home warranties explained. Many maintenance jobs also cut energy bills; see how to lower your heating bill. Build a repair fund into your budget too, so a broken appliance doesn't become debt. Our guide to building an emergency fund explains how.
Common questions
Turn off the water at the fixture's shut-off valve or the main water shut-off, turn off electricity to any wet area if it's safe to do so, call a licensed plumber and take photos for your insurer. Knowing where your main shut-off is before an emergency saves precious minutes.
Jobs that keep water out and systems running safely matter most: cleaning gutters, checking the roof and caulking, servicing heating and cooling, testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and knowing where your main water shut-off is.
Homeowners insurance usually covers sudden, accidental damage, such as a burst pipe or storm damage, but not repairs due to wear and tear or lack of maintenance. Keeping records of maintenance can help if you ever need to make a claim.