When the weather is fair, homeowners and landlords can take advantage by carrying out maintenance to the outside of their properties. Summer is the perfect time of year to tackle outdoor jobs such as gardening, painting and caring for your property’s railings and ironworks. This month, we talk you through some useful tips for summer maintenance, to keep your tenement property looking its best for the rest of the year.
Gardening
Most tenements in Scotland are in large towns or cities, and don’t benefit from a large garden. However, even with limited space available in a back court or small garden, there are many things you can do to brighten up your outdoor space in the summertime. Firstly, check your titles to determine if you are responsible for any part of the back court, and which parts are yours. If your titles are silent on this issue, refer to the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, which declares that the individual owner of the bottom flat nearest to and adjacent to the outdoor area will own the outdoor area and be responsible for its upkeep.
Then, if you are responsible for any part of the garden, you can find inexpensive pot plants at local plant sales, in the clearance section of your local garden centre, or even on social media buying and selling groups. These can help to brighten up a space which is paved over.
If you are a member of an owners’ association, there are many things you can do as a group to brighten up and maintain your building’s back court or garden. Try holding events such as building meetings or barbecues in the garden to keep your fellow owners engaged in the upkeep of the space. You can also arrange to collect funds from members to put towards garden maintenance. Consider using these funds to buy equipment such as a lawn mower, if needed, or decorative features such as plants or picnic tables.
Painting
Summer is also an ideal time for painting any external wood on your building, such as window frames. Window frames, unless otherwise stated in your titles, are the responsibility of individual owners. The good weather should keep you dry when you are working outside, and allow the paint to dry quickly. Maintaining the paint work on your timber window frames is important not only because it maintains their appearance, but also because it protects them from weather damage and rot. When timber window frames rot, they can let water in. Under One Roof recommends repainting metal and timber window frames at least every five years to keep them watertight.
When you are repainting your window frames, take a moment to check the mastic – the sealant around your window frame, for signs of damage. Similarly to your window frame, mastic can let in water if it gets damaged. If your mastic needs to be replaced, remember to use the traditional variety, made from burnt sand and boiled linseed, rather than modern polysulphide mastic. This will last longer on stone buildings and will not need to be replaced as often.
Caring for railings and ironworks
Decorative iron railings are a rare sight in many of Scotland’s towns and cities, as many of them were removed by local authorities during World War Two, to provide iron for the war effort. Therefore, if your property still has an iron gate or railings, it is important to preserve them and keep them looking their best. Rust is particularly dangerous, because as iron rusts, it expands, which can break the surrounding stonework.
When looking for rust on iron, check for areas where the paint has started to flake off or blister, as well as rust-coloured stains on the surrounding stonework. Check in the areas easily missed while painting, such as the undersides of railings.
You can help to prevent rust on cast iron by painting it regularly during warm, dry weather, using the correct zinc-based primer and gloss paint. Remember to prepare your surfaces first by removing any rust with sandpaper and filling any small holes before you start painting. Apply your paint in several thin layers rather than one thick one, to make it last longer.
Find out more about how to maintain your tenement property with Under One Roof’s dedicated Maintenance hub [Maintenance | Under One Roof ], full of useful information on maintaining every part of your tenement building.
