Come late September and early October, everyone will want their boilers serviced, or tenants will be trying to turn them on and discovering that no heat is coming through. The autumn is a busy time for gas services and the services of boiler engineers are often in demand. Your tenants will be quick to complain if the boiler isn’t working when they want to heat the house, so why not get in early and do the necessary checks now or at least get an early boiler service booked in before the rush?

It’s also a good opportunity to get the pipe work checked and ensure that the radiators in your properties are all working well. Blocked air in the pipes can cause problems once the heating is back on – radiators may stay cold, be only partially warm or there may be all sorts of odd rumblings and noises in the pipes. They’re all issues that tenants typically come running back to you for help with sorting out, but you could avoid this by taking care of maintenance now.

If you are booking a boiler service, don’t forget to agree a suitable time with your tenants first. A service doesn’t normally take too long, but they will want to be prepared and know in advance when it will be. If you have a gas boiler and gas fire, then it’s also a good chance to get a gas fire serviced too. The property will then be fully functional and ready to handle all heating needs when the weather turns cooler.

Although it may not have been a high priority in the past, gone are the days when you can overlook green issues. If you’re keen to improve the green credentials of properties you own, then here are four practical ways in which you can reduce the environmental impact your properties have.

1. Install loft insulation

Having the loft insulated can significantly reduce the amount of lost heat in a building and improve the energy efficiency, as well as reduce fuel bills. The recommended thickness for loft insulation is 250mm to 300mm and it’s relatively cheap to have done.

2. Get cavity insulation

Another great way of insulating a property and improving the heat retention is to have the cavities insulated. This needs to be carried out by a professional cavity insulation firm and preferably a member that is qualified with the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency. It’s a bit of a noisy process (the neighbours may not be impressed for an hour or two!), but can make a huge difference to the insulation abilities of the walls of your property.

3. Replace the boiler

Old boilers can be a huge source of emissions and are typically found in older properties. A new boiler can be a big investment to make, but as savvy tenants are getting more and more aware of the effects of old boilers – not least that they can end up costing them more in bills – it’s well worth considering.

4. Invest in draught protection

Windows and doors can be a major source of draughts, caused by poorly fitted window frames or frames that have suffered a bit of movement through wear and tear. To help reduce the amount of heat that is lost from a home, and the amount of unwanted that gets in, consider investing in draught protection around windows and doors.

Depending on the amount of draught proofing you want to have done, this shouldn’t be too expensive and you can save even more costs by installing it yourself.

The innovative government scheme, which was launched in the pre-budget report in December 2009, offered landlords and home owners in England the chance to trade in old and inefficient boilers and receive a £400 voucher towards the cost of a new boiler.

The scheme offered 125,000 of the £400 vouchers, to people with G-rated boilers or worse, but due to the popularity of the scheme (or the state of the boilers in England), they’ve already all been snapped up. It was hoped that the 2010 budget would extend the popular scheme, but sadly it wasn’t mentioned.

If you have applied for a voucher, but haven’t received it yet, then don’t panic, as it should be on its way. If you’ve received a voucher, but haven’t used it yet, then you have 12 weeks from the day of issue to claim your £400 for a new boiler.

For anyone who missed the opportunity to improve their boilers to a newer and more efficient model, then nPower have announced that they’ll give a  £400 discount to anyone who has a boiler over 10 years old.

Have you taken advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme? Do you think the scheme should be re-introduced?