A house is a set of parts that wear at different speeds. Gutters fill, seals fail, boilers age and wiring falls behind the way a home is used. A property maintenance company looks after all of it.
This guide explains what that covers in Surrey and South London, with plain answers on the three jobs people ask about most: fuse board replacement, rewiring and plumbing.
What a property maintenance company does
Three kinds of work, usually:
- Repairs. Leaks, faults, cracks and breakages made right.
- Planned upkeep. The regular jobs that prevent the expensive ones.
- Small works and snagging. The jobs too small for a full building project, and the faults left at the end of someone else’s.
The advantage over calling a different trade each time is one number to ring and one firm responsible for the result. That matters most when a job crosses trades: a leak that needs a roofer, then a plasterer, then a decorator. Our maintenance work for homes and small business premises is set up this way.
Repairs: find the cause first
The mark you can see is rarely the fault itself. A damp patch on a bedroom ceiling may come from a slipped tile, a blocked gutter, failed flashing round a chimney or condensation in a cold roof space. Paint over it and it returns.
A good repair starts with the cause. Expect whoever attends to look beyond the mark, tell you what they found, agree a price before starting and show you photographs before and after. If you are reporting a problem, a photograph and a line on when it started will often save a visit.
Electrics: fuse boards and rewiring
When a fuse board needs replacing
The fuse board, properly called the consumer unit, is where the electricity supply is divided into circuits and protected. An older board may still work, but it often lacks the protection a modern home needs. Signs that yours is due for replacement:
- Rewirable fuses, or a board with a wooden back
- No RCD, the device that cuts the power in a fraction of a second if someone gets a shock
- Scorch marks, a smell of burning or a warm cover
- Breakers that trip often, or no room for a new circuit
- An inspection report that lists the board as unsatisfactory
A modern consumer unit has a metal case, RCD protection on its circuits and, often, protection against power surges.
The rules for fuse board replacement
In England, replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. In practice that means it should be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, who tests the installation and certifies the work. The alternative is to have it signed off through building control.
Afterwards you should hold two documents: an Electrical Installation Certificate and a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Keep both. You will be asked for them when you sell.
Does the house need rewiring?
Not every old installation needs replacing, but these are reasons to have it checked:
- Cables covered in rubber, fabric or lead
- Round-pin sockets, or sockets fixed to skirting boards
- Lights with no earth connection
- Sockets or switches that are warm, discoloured or crackle
- Circuits that trip again and again
The way to know is an Electrical Installation Condition Report, carried out by a qualified electrician. The usual recommendation is every ten years for a home you own and live in. In England, privately rented homes must be inspected at least every five years.
A rewire can be full or partial. Either way it disturbs the house: floorboards come up and walls are cut for new cables, then made good and redecorated. It is worth using a firm that can do the making good as well as the wiring, so the job is finished as one.
Plumbing and heating
Most plumbing calls are small: a dripping tap, a toilet that runs on, a radiator that stays cold, low pressure, a leak under a sink. A few points apply to every home:
- Know where the stopcock is and check that it turns. In a burst, it is the first thing to reach for.
- Gas work is restricted by law. Only an engineer on the Gas Safe Register may work on a boiler, a gas hob or a gas fire. Ask to see the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card.
- Have the boiler serviced every year. Most manufacturers make it a condition of the warranty.
- A new boiler is notifiable. The installer registers the work and you receive a certificate, which you should keep.
- Landlords must have gas appliances checked every year and give the tenant a copy of the record.
If you smell gas, leave the building and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Planned upkeep: a simple yearly plan
A short list, done on time, prevents most large repairs.
- Gutters and downpipes: cleared after the leaves fall and checked again in spring
- Roof: looked over from the ground once a year and after any storm
- Boiler: serviced before winter
- Outside paintwork and sealant: checked each year, and repainted before bare timber shows
- Flat roofs and drains: checked for standing water and blockages
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: tested regularly
- Radiators: bled if they are cold at the top
A maintenance company can hold this plan for you and report after each visit.
What counts as urgent
- Act at once: a burst pipe, water coming through a ceiling near lights or sockets, a smell of burning from the fuse board, or no power to the whole property
- Within a day or two: a leak you can contain, a lock that will not secure a door, no heating in cold weather
- Routine: a sticking door, a cracked tile, a dripping tap
If water is near electrics and you can safely reach the main switch, turn the power off.
Choosing a property maintenance company in Surrey
The same checks apply as for any builder, and our guide on how to choose a builder in Surrey covers them in full. For maintenance in particular, look for:
- One number to call, and one person who owns the job until it is closed
- A time agreed with you, and a call if it changes
- A price agreed before work starts
- Registered trades for gas and for notifiable electrical work
- Photographs before and after
- A written warranty on the work
At Resmor, every maintenance job includes a time agreed with you, the same team each visit, the cause found and not only the symptom, a price agreed before we start, photographs before and after, and a written warranty on our work. If a part fails, we make the manufacturer pay for the repair and the replacement.
Something need fixing? Send us a photograph and we will tell you what it needs: start an enquiry. If a repair is turning into a larger project, our guide to home extensions and loft conversions in Surrey explains what comes next.
Questions people ask
What does a property maintenance company do?
It looks after the fabric and services of a building: roofs and gutters, brickwork, plumbing and heating, electrics, joinery and decoration. That covers repairs when something fails and planned upkeep, such as clearing gutters and servicing the boiler, so that less fails.
Do I need an electrician to replace a fuse board?
Yes. In England, replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. It should be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, who tests the installation and gives you an Electrical Installation Certificate and a Building Regulations compliance certificate.
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Signs include an old fuse box with rewirable fuses, cables covered in rubber or fabric, round-pin sockets, scorch marks, a smell of burning or circuits that trip often. An Electrical Installation Condition Report from a qualified electrician will say whether a full or partial rewire is needed.
How often should the electrics in a home be checked?
The usual recommendation is an Electrical Installation Condition Report every ten years for a home you own and live in, and when you buy. In England, privately rented homes must be inspected at least every five years.
Who can work on a gas boiler?
Only an engineer on the Gas Safe Register may legally work on gas appliances. Ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe ID card, and expect a certificate after a new boiler is installed.