Common repair problems for first-time buyers (and how to fix them yourself): So you’ve finally got the keys to your first property and are excitedly picking out paint colours and looking online for furniture to fill your new abode, but what happens if your honeymoon period comes to an abrupt end and you encounter a problem that needs repairing pronto?
With most of your hard-earned cash going on moving companies and solicitors fees, being able to solve a few of the most common problems yourself without having to call in professionals is a great way to save some time and money. Here are a few issues that you might encounter that you can easily remedy yourself.
Cold radiators 
If the weather is cool and you’ve cranked up the central heating only to discover that your radiators just aren’t responding, don’t write the whole system off as scrap and start getting quotes for new. It could be that air pockets are trapped within, creating cold patches and radiators that don’t transmit heat properly. All you need to do is bleed the radiator.
Simply turn off the central heating, use a wrench to open the valves on the radiator and drain off any liquid into a bowl or bucket (an old towel is handy too if you need to protect floor coverings). Work your way around each radiator in your home.
Now you can turn your boiler back on, check the pressure and see if this has solved the problem without you spending a single penny.
Damp patches
Damp is enough to fill any homeowner with dread as it can be a costly, troublesome issue to repair. If you detect a patch that your survey didn’t pick up, you can be forgiven for feeling slightly panicked.
However, all damp problems have a source, so grab a mate, a pair of ladders and check out the roof for dislodged tiles or any nearby guttering that may be filled with debris and be responsible for the water ingress.
In many cases, damp has a simple solution by fixing the cause, but if you can’t see anything that’s immediately apparent, you may need to get the experts in.
Leaking taps and showers
As well as being really annoying to listen to, leaking taps and showers can stain baths and sinks and increase your water consumption – not ideal if your property runs on a water meter!
Thankfully, most drips can be easily fixed with a wrench and a few minutes of your time. You can tighten up a leaking tap by turning the wrench to the right. Go slowly as you don’t want to overdo things and end up causing more damage.
Blown lightbulbs
Weirdly, most people don’t ever change a lightbulb until they buy their first property, so if one blows suddenly, here’s your chance to work on a must-have homeowner skill!
Make sure that you have a replacement bulb with the right base fitting, a secure pair of step ladders and turn off the power to the light fitting first, or you could end up getting more than you bargained for! Then simply unscrew the old bulb and replace with the new.