Property maintenance is the planned version of handyman work. Instead of waiting for a gate to fall off or a gutter to overflow into the eaves, the property is checked and looked after on a schedule so small faults are caught while they are still small. For many owners in the Warragul district, especially people with acreage, older homes, rental portfolios or busy lives, a maintenance plan costs less in the long run than a series of urgent repairs.

We provide property maintenance across Warragul, Drouin, Trafalgar, Yarragon and the surrounding towns and rural localities of Baw Baw Shire. Our work covers houses, units, rental properties, lifestyle blocks, small farms and small commercial premises.

Who uses property maintenance

Owner-occupiers

Families who simply do not have the time, and older residents who no longer want to climb ladders or wrestle with gates. A seasonal visit keeps the home in good order without becoming a weekend project.

Landlords and property managers

Rental properties need regular attention between tenancies and during them. Prompt, documented repairs help keep tenants happy and protect the asset. See our property managers page for how we work with agencies.

Acreage and lifestyle-block owners

Properties around Nilma, Darnum, Rokeby, Buln Buln, Neerim South and the hills either side of the Princes Freeway have more of everything: more fencing, more gates, more sheds, longer driveways and more trees dropping debris into gutters. A maintenance routine keeps on top of it.

Holiday homes and absent owners

Some homes in the district are second homes, weekenders or properties owned by people who have moved away. We can check the property, deal with small issues and report back with photos.

Small businesses

Shops, offices, clinics and community buildings in the town centres need small repairs, signage fixings, door adjustments and general upkeep. See our commercial page.

The West Gippsland maintenance calendar

Maintenance in this district follows the weather. The district is greener and wetter than Melbourne, and the main seasonal pressures are winter rain, westerly winds, autumn leaf fall and the bushfire season on the forested fringe to the north.

Autumn (March to May)

• Clean gutters and downpipes before the winter rain, particularly under eucalypts, oaks and elms.
• Check roof flashings and ridge capping from the ladder for obvious lifting, and report anything that needs a roofer.
• Ease and adjust doors and windows before the wet sets in.
• Check external timber for flaking paint and seal exposed end grain.
• Clear drainage grates and check that water runs away from the house.

Winter (June to August)

• Check for internal signs of leaks after heavy rain: stains on ceilings, swelling skirting, mould in corners.
• Fix draughts around doors and windows with seals and weather strips.
• Re-fix storm-damaged palings, gates and loose sheeting.
• Check handrails and steps for slipperiness, especially on shaded timber decks that grow moss.

Spring (September to November)

• Pressure wash paths, decks and driveways after winter.
• Repair and re-seal decks ahead of summer use.
• Check and repair flyscreens before the insects arrive.
• Repair fences and gates after the winter storms.

Summer (December to February)

• Clear gutters and roof valleys of dry debris on properties near the bush, especially to the north toward Neerim South and Jindivick.
• Clear combustible material from under decks and around the house.
• Check that external taps, hoses and fittings are secure.
• Address any dry rot or termite signs noticed during the year by referring to a licensed pest inspector.

What a maintenance visit includes

Every property is different, so we agree a checklist with you. A typical visit includes:

• A walk-around of the outside: gutters, downpipes, fences, gates, paths, decks, sheds, eaves, visible roof edges and external doors.
• A walk-through of the inside: doors, windows, locks, cupboards, wet-area silicone, visible plaster cracks, handrails and smoke alarm locations (we note if alarms are missing or beeping; testing and replacing hardwired alarms is electrician work).
• Repairs of small items found, within an agreed time allowance.
• A short written report with photos of anything we fixed and anything that needs further work or a licensed trade.

Planned versus reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance means fixing things after they fail. It is often more expensive and more disruptive: a fallen gate lets stock or dogs out, a blocked gutter overflows into the eaves and damages the fascia, a rotten deck board breaks under someone’s foot. Planned maintenance catches these early.

We are happy to do either. Many customers start with a single reactive job, such as a fence repair after a storm, and then ask us to come back each season to keep on top of things.

Older homes and moisture

The district’s older weatherboards, particularly in Warragul, Trafalgar and Yarragon, deserve extra attention. The combination of timber, clay soils and wet winters means moisture is the main enemy. A maintenance plan for an older home should include:

• Checking subfloor vents are clear so the space under the house can breathe.
• Watching for weatherboards that have split or pulled away.
• Keeping paint intact on windowsills and the bottom boards of walls, which take the most water.
• Ensuring garden beds and paving are not built up against the weatherboards.
• Checking verandah posts and their bases, which often rot where they meet the ground or a concrete pad.

Sheds, outbuildings and farm infrastructure

Rural properties in the district typically have several outbuildings: machinery sheds, hay sheds, workshops, garages, old dairies and chook houses. We maintain doors, hinges, latches, roller-door fixings (not motors), cladding sheets that have lifted, timber framing that has rotted at the base, and the guttering that sheds often have. We can also repair sections of post-and-rail and timber fences, gates and cattle-yard timbers on small properties. Large-scale rural fencing is a specialist trade, and we will tell you if a job is better suited to a fencing contractor.

Documented work and photos

For landlords, property managers and absent owners, we document work with before and after photos and a short written summary. That record helps with condition reports, insurance claims and planning future work.

What we do not do

Property maintenance overlaps with many trades. We do not do:

• Licensed electrical work, including hardwired smoke alarms, power points and lighting.
• Licensed plumbing and gas fitting, including hot water services and gas appliances.
• Roof plumbing that requires a licence, such as replacing gutters or roof sheets. We clean gutters and do minor checks; replacements go to a roof plumber.
• Tree felling or work near power lines.
• Asbestos removal.
• Pest and termite treatment.

We work alongside these trades and can tell you who you need.

Getting a maintenance quote

Send us your property address, the type of property and a list of what you would like included, with photos if possible. We will reply by email with questions and a written proposal. We do not publish prices, because a two-bedroom unit in town and a twenty-acre block near Neerim South are very different jobs.

Areas covered

Warragul, Drouin, Trafalgar, Yarragon, Nilma, Darnum, Rokeby, Buln Buln, Neerim South and Longwarry. See our service areas and full list of services.

Building a maintenance checklist for your property

A good maintenance plan is written down. When we start working with a new property, we build a checklist that fits it, and we keep it on file so each visit follows the same pattern. For a typical brick veneer home in Drouin or Warragul, the list might run to thirty items. For an older weatherboard in Trafalgar with a detached garage, a verandah and a long timber fence, it may be closer to fifty. For a farm near Darnum or Rokeby, the list is grouped by building and by paddock gate.

The checklist is organised by area rather than by trade:

• Approach and entry. Letterbox, front gate, path, steps, handrails, front door, porch light fittings (visual only), house numbers.
• Living areas. Doors, windows, locks, flyscreens, skirting, visible ceiling stains, cracks at cornices.
• Kitchen. Cupboard hinges, drawer runners, benchtop silicone, splashback grout, visible leaks under the sink (reported to a plumber if found).
• Bathrooms and laundry. Shower and bath silicone, grout, exhaust grilles, towel rails, vanity doors, signs of moisture in walls or floors.
• Bedrooms. Robe doors, tracks, shelving, window latches.
• Outside. Gutters, downpipes, eaves, fascias, weatherboards or brickwork, decks, pergolas, fences, gates, sheds, clotheslines, garden taps.

Each item is marked as fine, fixed on the day, or needing follow-up. Over a year or two the checklist becomes a useful history of the property, showing which parts are holding up and which need investment.

Maintenance before selling or leasing

Agents in Warragul and Drouin often recommend a round of small repairs before a property is listed. Buyers notice sticking doors, cracked tiles, stained ceilings and broken flyscreens, and they mentally add the cost of fixing everything they see. A pre-sale maintenance visit deals with these quickly. We work from the agent’s or building inspector’s list where there is one, and we coordinate with painters, cleaners and gardeners so the property is ready for photographs.

The same applies before a new tenancy begins. Our end-of-lease repairs service covers the jobs that usually appear on an outgoing condition report.

Working with your other trades

Property maintenance is most effective when it connects to the other people who look after the property. If we find a roof leak, we can describe exactly where it is and what we saw so the roof plumber arrives prepared. If a stump has dropped, we can show the restumper where the floor is out of level. If an exhaust fan has failed, we note it for the electrician. Customers tell us this saves them time and avoids multiple trades each charging to come out and find the same fault.

Frequently asked questions