How Preventive Maintenance Saves You Money on Home Repairs

Owning a home comes with plenty of expenses, but the most frustrating are the unexpected repairs. A leaking water heater, struggling air conditioner, clogged drain, or failing appliance can quickly turn a small maintenance issue into a costly repair or replacement. (St. Louis humidity and extreme weather changes don’t help matters for us homeowners, either!)

Preventive home maintenance from a company like UPKEEP Home Warranty + Maintenance really helps homeowners catch problems early, extend the lifespan of home systems and appliances, and drastically reduce the likelihood of expensive emergency repairs.

Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or have owned your home for years, a home maintenance plan can be one of the smartest ways to protect your investment and control the cost of homeownership.

What Do You Mean “Preventive Home Maintenance?”

Preventive maintenance just means regularly inspecting, cleaning, servicing, and maintaining the systems, appliances, and components of your home before something breaks down.

For example, instead of waiting for your air conditioner to stop working or your water heater to leak, preventive maintenance helps identify those potential problems while they are still manageable (and affordable!).

This could include changing your HVAC filters regularly, scheduling professional maintenance, inspecting plumbing for hidden leaks, checking your water heater, cleaning gutters and downspouts, inspecting all the electrical systems, looking for wear on your appliances, etc.

All of these tasks may seem tedious, but staying ahead of them can really make a significant difference in your home’s long-term repair costs.

So, Why Is Preventive Maintenance Important for Homeowners?

As unfortunate as it is, your home’s major systems and appliances won’t last forever. HVAC systems, plumbing components, water heaters, electrical components, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and other appliances all experience normal wear and tear.

Without regular maintenance, minor problems can go unnoticed until they become major failures. A small plumbing leak might initially cost relatively little to address. If it goes unnoticed for months, however, it could eventually contribute to water damage, mold growth, damaged flooring, or structural problems. Likewise, an HVAC system that isn’t properly maintained may have to work harder to heat and cool your home. Over time, that’ll contribute to increased energy costs and premature equipment failure.

Preventive maintenance helps you address problems well before they become emergencies.

Reasons You Should Take Preventative Care Seriously:

1. It helps you avoid expensive repairs by catching problems early. Fixing a minor problem before it gets worse or causes additional damage can save you from a much larger repair bill. It’s an investment in early problem detection!
2. It extends the life of your home’s systems and appliances. Replacing these items can be very expensive! Getting a new HVAC system can cost homeowners anywhere from $6,000-$28,000. These systems and appliances were significant expenses, but regular maintenance can help keep them all operating properly and efficiently for as long as they possibly can.
3. It’s going to help reduce emergency repairs. All homeowners know how stressful these unexpected breakdowns are. A failed air conditioner during an extreme heat wave (like what we’ve been going through all summer here in St. Charles, St. Peters, and St. Louis!) requires immediate attention. A home maintenance schedule reduces the likelihood of being caught off guard.
4. You can save money on energy costs. Not all problems with your house result in an immediate breakdown, but they do cause your home systems to operate less efficiently. An HVAC system that is dirty, clogged, or not properly maintained needs to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. We all want our homes operating as efficiently as possible so we can avoid unnecessary energy bill increases.
5. Maintenance helps protect your home from secondary damage. The original problem often isn’t even the most expensive part of a repair bill. A small leak in your kitchen can damage the cabinets or flooring, a clogged gutter can lead to problems with your foundation, a neglected roof eventually leads to water damage, and so on.
6. It makes it easier to stay organized. Knowing what needs to be done isn’t a problem—it’s remembering when it needs done and having the time to do it. Your home has dozens of systems and components that each require different types of maintenance throughout the year. Keeping records of maintenance can also help you understand the history of your home’s systems so you can identify recurring problems.

How UPKEEP Makes Preventive Home Maintenance Easy

UPKEEP combines a home warranty with routine preventive maintenance to help homeowners stay ahead. Your personal home manager at UPKEEP will coordinate your home’s maintenance and keep important information organized, including serial numbers for parts and quick replacements. Every UPKEEP client gets four annual maintenance visits from our team of experts! (We also are partnered with local home repair team Mister Fix-It, so you also have access to discounts on home improvements!)

Because we perform these routine checkups and tuneups ourselves, no warranty claim gets denied for lack of maintenance. The result is a more affordable, proactive approach to homeownership, home maintenance, and home protection for our St. Louis-area neighbors.

To learn more about the many perks of being an UPKEEP client, click here!

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