A study by Rushbrook found the average buy-to-let owner in England stands to lose over £30,000 in capital value through poor upkeep, with that figure rising to almost £59,000 for landlords with London properties.
Following the findings, George Edwards, Managing Director of Timberwise (pictured), has set out a simple framework landlords can use to carry out a basic maintenance assessment on their rental property. Here, he explains where to start.
Check the building envelope first
"The building envelope, meaning the roof, guttering, external walls and windows, is where deterioration usually begins and where it's most easily missed," said Edwards. "Landlords should walk the exterior of the property at least twice a year, looking for slipped or missing roof tiles, blocked or leaking gutters, cracked render and any gaps around window and door frames. These are the entry points for water, and water is the single biggest cause of long-term structural damage."
Look for signs of damp and timber decay
"Inside the property, landlords should check vulnerable areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, under-stairs cupboards and any rooms with external walls," said Edwards. "Watch for musty smells, discoloured or bubbling plaster, soft or spongy skirting boards and any give in floorboards. These are early warning signs of rising or penetrating damp, or in more serious cases, dry and wet rot, both of which can spread quickly and become far more expensive to put right the longer they're left."
Test the essential systems
"A basic assessment should also cover the property's core systems," said Edwards. "That means checking that boilers, extractor fans and ventilation are working properly, that trickle vents aren't painted shut, and that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are tested and in date. Poor ventilation is a major contributor to condensation and damp, so it deserves as much attention as anything structural."
Keep a written record and set a schedule
"Landlords should document every inspection with dated notes and photographs and use that record to build a rolling maintenance schedule rather than reacting only when a tenant reports a problem," said Edwards. "A programme like this doesn't need to be complicated. What matters is consistency. Landlords who inspect regularly and act on what they find are the ones who protect both their tenants' living conditions and the long-term value of their asset."
Edwards said the Rushbrook figures should serve as a reminder that maintenance is not a discretionary cost. "The temptation when costs are rising elsewhere is to treat maintenance as the first thing to cut back on," he said. "But as this research shows, that approach can end up costing landlords far more than it saves. A basic, consistent assessment programme is one of the cheapest forms of insurance a landlord can have."
