DIY Disasters to Avoid: When to Call a Professional for Exterior Repairs

As much as a DIY project can be a great way to save money and maybe learn a new skill, there are certain tasks that are best left to the professionals. Landlords are often met with repairs and maintenance issues to deal with but it’s not always in your best interests to tackle it yourself – you could wind up making the problem worse, leaving the property unsafe or structurally unsound, and costing yourself more money in the long run.

Your tenants require you, as their landlord, to ensure the property is safe and secure, and that extends beyond the interior of the property. With this in mind, here are a few exterior repair tasks that it’s best to call in the experts for, to avoid a safety hazard.

Period restorations

If you’re letting an older property, such as a period home, you’re likely to have features and architectural fixtures that are unique to the era the property was built. For such period features, enlisting the services of specialists with knowledge of restoration and repairs is highly advisable and will ensure the work is carried out sympathetically to the property.

Unique design elements are often selling points for a rental property so it’s important not to risk damaging them to the point of requiring removal, as this could impact your rental yield in the future. You also run the risk of making the property less secure when windows or doors are not fixed to the right standard.

Roofing issues

Roof repairs may seem simple in theory, but making your roof fully waterproof and secure takes a lot of experience and knowledge. There are many aspects to keeping a roof in good condition, from replacing missing or broken tiles to sealing leaks to prevent water damage and repairing ridge vents and pipe collars.

There’s also the safety risk that comes from getting up onto the roof and carrying out the repair with all the necessary materials and equipment. The risk of falling and injuring yourself is great with a roof repair, while roofing contractors with the necessary skills and safety equipment are better equipped to handle this hazardous work.

Demolition work

We’ve all watched home renovation programmes where demolition projects are seen as a quick and easy job. But knocking down walls is not only harder work than it appears on TV, it’s also potentially dangerous if you take down a load-bearing wall that’s supporting the structure of the property.

It’s worth at least having a construction expert take a look at the property first to ensure that any demolition works you have planned aren’t going to result in a structural complication, but ideally have them carry out the work too to save yourself the hassle.

Garage door complications

Garage doors may look simple on the surface but they’re surprisingly complex, with many components that can go wrong if the door hasn’t been well maintained. Garage doors are also incredibly heavy, so you don’t want to run the risk of it falling on a tenant or on a vehicle when moving in and out of the space.

Keeping a check on the door to ensure it’s working correctly should be part of the landlord’s maintenance checks. If problems do arise with the door’s opening or closing mechanism, rather than risking injury or property damage, it would be sensible to have a garage door technician evaluate and address any malfunctions.

Fencing installations

Fences are a great way to define boundaries, enhance privacy for tenants and make a garden feel more secure. But property owners shouldn’t underestimate the time and work involved in installing a fence by themselves. It’s a demanding job and, as with garages, can become a safety and security risk if it’s not installed properly. To avoid the risk of a heavy fence panel falling on someone or a break-in caused by someone gaining access to the property due to a poorly constructed fence, hire a professional fencing team who will be able to provide an efficient, safe and secure installation.

Pest infestations

When tenants inform you there are pests on the property, you want to handle it quickly. While a swift response is necessary, it’s not always a good idea to take care of the problem yourself, especially if the issue is widespread.

Whether it’s wasps, birds, or rodents taking up residence, having the expertise of qualified pest control can give you the confidence that the problem is being handled carefully and thoroughly. If you’re unable to carry out a thorough removal yourself, you could easily encounter an ongoing issue, and a professional pest control company has the expertise to eradicate the infestation completely, preventing recurrences.

Quick fixes

Whether it’s your first rental or you’re a seasoned investor, we all know the temptation of choosing quick fixes that will ‘do for now’ until we get around to dealing with them properly. But these short-term measures tend to just put off the inevitable more costly repair and can in some cases do more harm than good.

A temporary repair on an outdoor pipe, for example, could lead to flooding and leaks which will then require a more extensive repair job later on. And as is often the case, temporary fixes can be forgotten about and never resolved correctly. Instead of DIY repairs and plaster sticking solutions, deal with necessary corrective repairs immediately and call-in qualified experts to prevent bigger repair headaches down the road.

By approaching professionals and specialists, either by recommendation or via certified contractor listings, you will not only ensure exterior repairs and maintenance work is carried out to a higher standard, but you will gain their expertise, workmanship and efficiency in the process. A professional will have the skills and equipment required to perform the job properly and be able to provide any necessary certification on completion, which will enhance the property’s value and ensure a longer-lasting result to keep your property looking its best.