Non resident maintenance guide

REGULAR CHECKS

It is imperative to make regular checks on your property.  No building is built to lay empty and lying empty is the biggest enemy of any house.
Although Spain is a hot country we do have cold, damp weather in the winter and over the winter of 2009/2010 we had the worst rains for 40 years.  These were freak weather conditions but they made clear that regular checking is a necessity to prevent water ingress and general damp in an un-lived in house.

In the summer it is necessary to make regular checks to ensure cockroaches and ants do not take advantage of a nice quiet house to live in. These are easily dealt with if the infestation is found quickly enough.  They particularly like open packets of  dried foods in an unattended cupboard and I have even seen them eat soap powder on occasion.  There are many types of very effective sprays and traps you can buy from the supermarket or hardware store which will dispatch them humanely and quickly.

Another consideration is nesting birds.  It is not normal to cover a boiler outlet in Spain and these provide a nice warm dark environment for birds to raise their young.  It is an offense to remove a nest while the young are still in it but as soon as they have flown, make sure the nest is removed and the pipe is clear and clean. Buy some chicken wire to cover the inlet and prevent the mother returning next year. If you don´t feel up to getting the ladders out we will be happy to do this for you. Not only do nesting birds make a mess they can also block the outlet and cause a build up of carbon monoxide in the house which can be fatal.

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

With the high temperatures in summer and the cold weather in winter paint can suffer.  It is advisable to check all exterior paint in the Spring and Autumn and make good any areas which need attention.  Particular attention should be paid to the rubber joints between townhouses and apartments which are not covered by insurance and can lead to a severe ingress of water if not kept in good condition.  These are expansion joints put in when the building was constructed to allow for expansion in hot weather and small amounts of natural movement.  If left unattended they can dry out and crack making the joint ineffective and giving an ideal aperture for rain water to seep in to the fabric of the building.

Here in Spain, we have many tiled areas in our houses and the joints should be kept in good order to prevent ingress of water.  If left open water can get behind the tiles and pop them off the surface leading to expensive bills.

Roofs should be given a look over on a regular basis.  The Levante (seasonal winds) can play havoc with roof tiles even on new buildings and it is better to find a loose tile on the roof than on your car.

Exterior rubber pipes and hoses should be checked over to see that they have not perished and be replaced as necessary.

If you have a bottle gas installation it is worth paying the gas supplier to carry out a safety check.  They will check that there are no leaks from the installation and that there is no escape of carbon monoxide.  It is money well spent for your peace of mind.

At Cadizcasa we are qualified and able to carry out any of this very necessary maintenance for you, just give us a call for a price today.