I was delighted to catch up with DANNY BREWER of DJ's PROPERTY MAINTENANCE from his busy schedule earlier this month (Dec.'23) for a brief interview.

Having got to know Danny and his team after hiring his independent local company to carry out some roof repairs in September on my own property, I knew he was the man to offer some valuable house maintenance tips. With his experience and high professional standards, I was confident his advice would be priceless.

I asked him first to introduce himself and to say a little about how he got into the property maintenance business.

Danny: I've worked for myself for as long as I can remember, about 33 years now - having started out working for my grandad who was a builder. But as years went on, I've specialised more in roofing, fascias, soffitts and gutters - although still offering other maintenance services as needed. I'm lucky to have a couple of skilled guys who have been working for me for a long time - Jim has been with me for 25 plus years and Wes has been with me for over 18 years. I've known them from a young age and have complete confidence in the high standards of their work. They're really part of the furniture!

Simon: I expect, like most businesses, the roofing industry will have changed considerably since you started out. How have you coped with that?

Danny: The thing is we've all learned together over the years with hands on experience, but you're right, in the roofing world things change but we've made sure we keep up to date with new technologies by regularly attending courses together. That way we know we'll never let standards slip.

Simon: I know that from my own experience with you, not only are your standards of work very high, but also how you value your customer service. And that's certainly not a given these days.

Danny: Well yes, because I know that if I'm told a trader promises to turn up on Tuesday at 9am, but actually doesn't turn up until 11am or worse, without any notice or reason, I, like any customer, would feel let down. We all know those kind of people, but me and the lads will never be like that. We always respect our customers and will go the extra mile to be accommodating and courteous, because it's no more than we would expect ourselves.

Also I know that if we do a good all round job, that customer is more likely to use us again and hopefully recommend us to others. Reputation is everything!

Simon: People might say suspiciously 'you're bound to say all that, but do you actually practise what you preach?' But I know apart from my own practical experience with you, your business is accredited by Checkatrade, Trust a Trader and now The Bestof Market Harborough who all have strict criteria for endorsing customer service and product quality. And you pass all of them with flying colours!

And Harborough FM are very happy to regularly promote you, which they certainly wouldn't do if you had any complaints!

But the true endorsement comes from your excellent customer reviews which are all very complimentary. So what would you say are your best qualities over some of your competitors?

Danny: Well I don't necessarily know or judge my competitors - I just concentrate on us delivering the very best service we can at a fair price which it seems people are very happy with. And of course our work is fully guaranteed. But if though there was to be any problem, we would do all we could to rectify it without delay, but fortunately that very rarely happens!

Simon: So Danny, I think we've established that you know what you're talking about when it comes to property maintenance! So let me ask you, now that winter is here, for some hot tips for our community as to how they can best prepare and check their property to reduce the risk of some potentially costly repairs.

Danny: Well sometimes it can be the simple maintenance things like checking the gullies and gutters are clear and not blocked up with debris , moss or leaves - 'cause they can cause serious leaks which can prove expensive and very inconvenient. They can cause serious damp issues, rotting fascias etc. It's important to keep your gutters clear to not allow water to collect on the roof, and unfortunately many people don't generally pay enough attention to this. A quick routine check by either the property owner or a reliable tradesman - could even be a window cleaner, could save hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

BUT, please don't mess around with ladders if you are not experienced, because the consequences of a fall could be life changing - far better to get in an experienced and able tradesman.

Another tip is to check your roof from inside the loft (if you have one). Don't switch on the light, shine a small torch and look around. If you can see any daylight, you might have a problem that water can leak through. It might be just a pinhole of light - could be a cracked tile or slipped slate which is simple to repair, but if left, it could soon develop into something more serious. It's often easier to spot a potential roof problem from inside the loft.

An example of this is some work we did a few weeks ago on a property with a slate roof. The owner had just bought the property, had a survey done which said everything was fine. But when they moved in, they found the roof was leaking - with water running down the chimney breast. We went up into the loft and found 2 big holes which you couldn't see from the road because of the colour of the slates and the brickwork. We could clearly see where and why the water was running down the side of the chimney and could fix the problem.

But we always recommend regular checking and especially after bad weather, because if there is a problem the sooner it's repaired the better to prevent further damage and expensive repairs. It's like having a car - if you keep it maintained and regularly serviced, you'll get more miles out of it.

Simon: That's great advice. So we're currently in December, what would you say are the most common problems you're coming across at the moment?

Danny: At this time of year, we get a lot of phone calls of blocked or leaking gutters, mostly caused by leaves and debris caused leaks. We also get calls about chimney problems with the lead flashing around them becoming loose, allowing water to trickle in.

Again, it's always best to check these things before they become a major problem, or get someone in to check and give a free quote and full explanation if anything needs to be done.

Simon: Danny, it's been a pleasure talking with you and thank you because I think you've given us some great tips which I'll be happy to pass on.

Danny: No problem - have a great Christmas.

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(Simon Perry of The Bestof Market Harborough was talking with Danny Brewer, owner of DJ's Property Maintenance, Market Harborough on 7th December 2023.)

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