Your Property Maintenance Checklist
The City of Blue Ash has ordinances regulating property maintenance in residential and commercial areas to keep Blue Ash looking great. Over the years, the City’s goals have remained consistent: to help prevent the deterioration of neighborhoods by improving property maintenance, and use and maintain the highest safety and sanitation standards for properties in the community. The code sets minimum standards so a property owner clearly knows what maintenance is expected. Plus, it provides assurance to those meeting the standards that their neighbors will do the same. As structures and neighborhoods age, they require maintenance to rehabilitate and prevent deterioration. Every property owner has a responsibility to protect property values by keeping our neighborhoods clean and attractive.
Please use the maintenance checklist to help you recognize potential violations on your property and take corrective action to preserve your property value and the character of your neighborhood.
Maintenance Checklist:
- Gutters and Downspouts: Pull leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house. Run a hose on the roof and check for proper drainage. If leaks exist, dry the area and use caulking or epoxy to seal the leak.
- Siding: Clean siding with a pressure washer to keep mold from growing. Check all wood surfaces for weathering and paint failure. If wood is showing through, sand the immediate area and apply a primer coat before painting. If paint is peeling, scrape loose paint and sand smooth before painting.
- Exterior Caulking: Inspect caulking and replace if deteriorating. Scrape out all of the eroding caulk and recaulk needed area.
- Window sills, door sills, and thresholds: Fill cracks, caulk edges, repaint or replace if necessary.
- Window and door screens: Clean screens and check for holes. If holes are bigger than a quarter, bugs can climb in. Patch or replace the screen. Save the bad screen to patch holes next year. Tighten or repair any loose or damaged frames and repaint. Replace broken, worn, or missing hardware. Ensure screens and frames are securely fastened. Tighten and lubricate door hinges and closers.
- Foundation: Check foundation walls, floors, concrete, and masonry for cracking, heaving, or deterioration. If a significant number of bricks are losing their mortar, call a professional. If you can slide a nickel into a crack in your concrete floor, slab, or foundation, call a professional immediately.
- Roof: Inspect roof surface flashing, eaves, and soffits. Check flashings around all surface projections and sidewalls.
- Deck and porches: Check all decks, patios, porches, stairs, and railings for loose members and deterioration. Open decks and wood fences need to be treated every 4-6 years, depending on how much exposure they get to sun and rain. If the stain doesn’t look like it should or water has ruined some of the wood, hire a professional to treat your deck and fence.
- Landscape: This is a natural for spring home maintenance. Cut back and trim all vegetation and overgrown bushes from structures. Limbs and leaves can cut into your home’s paint and force you to have that side of the house repainted. A little trimming can save a lot of money and time. Have your lawn mower service and blades sharpened before your first cutting for a healthy growth of grass.
If you have any questions, or if you'd like to report a property maintenance violation, contact Rich Doyle at rdole@blueash.com or 745-8542.
