Five Property Habits You Should Give Up For Lent

This week marked the start of Lent where many people choose to give up one vice or a few in preparation for Easter celebrations. Whether you give up meat, fizzy drinks or smoking, Lent is a test of wills. Those who make it through often find that their new habits benefit their lives and their bodies. . Often we don’t think of Lent in terms of what we can do outside of our physical bodies – but why not? This year, we’ve got a list of five property mistakes you can give up for Lent that will leave you and your home much better off.

Give Up Ignoring ‘Small’ Repairs

Do you have a draughty  window or a leaky tap you keep meaning to get to? These might not seem like pressing issues in the short term, but they have the potential to haunt you in the long run. Over time, small repairs can escalate, quickly turning into expensive disasters. A draughty window could be costing you hundreds in extra heating costs over the year, compared to the price of getting it fixed right away, so give up ignoring these small repairs for Lent.

Give Up Cutting Corners

Shelling out for a permanent fix can sometimes mean our wallets take a hard hit. This in turn leads us to choose a cheaper, temporary fix that we know will only suffice in the short term. Our wallets aren’t left as injured, however, continuing to spend money on temporary solutions soon adds up and could end up costing you more than the permanent fix in the end. It’s not always possible to get a permanent fix first time round, but where you can, you should – your wallet will thank you later.

Give Up Putting Off Your Annual Property Check Up

We tend to be very reactive when it comes to maintaining our homes; we notice something is broken, and then we fix it. However, the way to ensure we get the best out of our investment is to be proactive in the way we treat our homes. Owning a home is expensive enough without unnecessary spending, but preventative spending could save you from a lot of unexpected costs down the road. Make room in your budget to get your gutters cleaned and your boiler serviced yearly and you may notice a difference in your overall spending.

Give Up Forgetting to Test Your Smoke Alarm

It’s very simple to do, only takes a minute and could be the difference between life and death. For Lent, give up ignoring your smoke alarm and challenge yourself to test it weekly. Don’t know how? It’s easy; press and hold the test button (usually red and usually the only one on the device) for around five seconds until you hear a lovely, ear-piercing siren. If the sound is weak or non-existent, you’ll need to replace your batteries.

Give up Hiring Poor Contractors

Before hiring a contractor to perform any repairs to your home, be sure to shop around and get quotes for the works. This will give you an accurate representation of what the repair is likely to cost. You’ll also want to get some references for the contractor you do choose to employ. Settling for the first contractor in your Google search results could mean you end up paying for repairs to your repairs so look for a contractor with fair prices and a good reputation.