January home maintenance is about finding storm damage and heat stress early, while it's still cheap to fix. These six checks follow the January page of your printed calendar and take about an hour, plus a quick look after each big storm.
C18 - 6 Month Maintenance Checklist
$59.00 AUD
Checklist Type: Minor
Form Factor: Fillable, print-ready PDF (A4, 19 pages) with a maintenance calendar and log
When to use: After handover: your first six months and ongoing home maintenance
A 110-point home maintenance checklist with a calendar and log. Plan preventative maintenance, find small problems early and keep your warranties in good order.
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This month's checks
These January home maintenance checks come from the storm, roof, gutter and electrical sections of our C18 6 Month Maintenance checklist.
1Check the roof space after every storm
Storm leaks found in the first week cost a fraction of the ceiling and insulation damage they cause later.
- Once the storm has passed, take a strong torch and a stable stepladder to the manhole.
- Look from the manhole only. Don't crawl across the ceiling: it isn't built for your weight, and there are cables up there.
- Shine the torch along the underside of the roof, around pipes, vents and valleys.
- Check the insulation for wet, matted or moved batts.
Drips, water marks on timber, damp insulation, or daylight around a pipe or vent.
If you find any water. A roofer finds and fixes the leak. Never go up on the roof yourself. In the first year, tell your builder in writing too.
The QBCC Standards and Tolerances Guide (section 7.2) treats roofing that leaks in the weather the NCC anticipates as defective work.
2Look for ponding and blocked downpipes
Water lying against the slab causes soil movement and cracking, and hides termite entry. A blocked downpipe makes the gutter overflow right beside the walls.
- Walk around the house during or just after heavy rain, with a torch.
- Watch each downpipe. Water should go into the stormwater pipe, not spill from the gutter or a joint.
- Look for puddles against the walls that stay after the rain stops.
- Lift the grates on pits and channels and clear leaves by hand.
A gutter overflowing at one spot, a dry downpipe during rain, water bubbling up from a pit, or soil washing away along a wall.
If water still ponds after you've cleared the grates. A licensed plumber can camera inspect and pressure clean the stormwater drains. More on how your stormwater should work: Rainwater, stormwater and on-lot detention.
The NCC Housing Provisions (clause 3.3.3) require the ground beside a slab-on-ground home to slope away, generally by 50 mm over the first metre. The QBCC guide (section 8.2) says a downpipe serving more than 12 m of gutter is inadequate.
3Test the safety switches (RCDs)
A safety switch cuts the power fast when electricity leaks to earth, for example through a person. One that sticks gives no protection, and you won't know until you need it.
- Warn the household, then open the switchboard door (not the cover) and find the switches with a "T" or "Test" button.
- Press each test button. The switch should flick off and cut power to its circuits.
- Switch it back on, then reset clocks and check the fridge is running.
A switch that doesn't trip when tested, won't reset, or trips again and again on its own.
If any of those happen. Call a licensed electrician. Never take the switchboard cover off.
Queensland's Residential Tenancies Authority says safety switches should be tested every three months with the test button. The calendar repeats it in April, July and October.
4Check ceilings and window corners for water stains
A stain is often the first sign of a roof, flashing or window leak. Found early, it's a flashing or sealant fix. Left, it's new plaster and insulation.
- Hold a torch flat against the ceiling so the light skims across it.
- Look near the outside walls, around downlights, vents and the manhole.
- Check the top corners of each window and sliding door, and the sill below.
- Photograph anything new for your log.
Brown rings, bubbling paint, soft plaster or mould spots.
If a stain grows after rain. Call a roofer for roof leaks, and your builder or window installer for window leaks. In the defects period, report it in writing.
The QBCC guide (section 7.1) treats roof flashings that leak in the weather the NCC anticipates as defective.
5Keep soil moisture even around the slab
Reactive clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Big swings in a hot summer can move footings and crack walls.
- Walk the perimeter late in the day during a hot spell.
- Look for soil cracking or pulling away from the slab edge.
- Water garden beds near the house evenly, not in heavy bursts.
- Fix leaking taps, hoses and irrigation near the walls straight away.
- Follow your engineer's or builder's advice for your site.
A gap opening between soil and slab, new cracks in walls or cornices, or doors that start to stick.
If cracks keep widening. Tell your builder in writing, or get a structural engineer to look. Our guide to protecting your foundation with better drainage explains why.
The QBCC guide (section 3.1) says the builder isn't responsible for foundation movement caused by an owner not maintaining drainage after handover, or by later paving, landscaping or tree planting.
6Photograph any storm damage
Insurers and builders want evidence of what the storm did, and when.
- Wait until it's safe. Stay well clear of fallen powerlines and report them to your electricity distributor.
- From the ground, photograph the roof, gutters, fences, walls and fallen branches.
- Inside, photograph stains, leaks and wet floors, with a tape measure in shot for scale.
- Note the date and time and save the photos with your maintenance log.
If the roof, electrics or structure are damaged: a roofer, licensed electrician or your builder. Check your own policy and contact your insurer before major repairs.
Where you live changes the timing
Plan your january home maintenance around your climate.
- North (QLD, NT, northern WA, northern NSW). It's wet and cyclone season. Do the roof space and ponding checks after every big storm, and keep the gutters clear.
- South (temperate). It's bushfire season. Keep the gutters clear of leaves, and move stored items such as timber and outdoor furniture away from the walls.
Every month, as well
Add these to your january home maintenance, as every month:
- Test every smoke alarm with the test button.
- Clean the air-con filters while you're using it.
- Check wet areas for mould and run the exhaust fans.
- Walk around: note new cracks, leaks, stains or sticking doors.
- Record what you did in your maintenance log.
The short version
January home maintenance means looking for water after every storm, in the roof space, on the ceilings and against the slab. Test the safety switches, keep the soil moisture even in the heat, and photograph any damage before it's fixed.
Next month: February home maintenance.
FAQs
Do I need to check the roof space after every storm?
After every big one, yes. It takes a few minutes from the manhole with a torch, and a leak found early is far cheaper to fix.
What if a safety switch trips when I press the test button?
That's what it should do. Switch it back on. If it won't reset, or doesn't trip at all, call a licensed electrician.
How long does January home maintenance take?
About an hour for the six checks, plus a few minutes in the roof space after each big storm.