From the tools,
not the call centre.
Practical advice from the Property Edge team — damp proofing, plumbing, kitchens, bathrooms, HMO licensing, voids, and the kind of DIY tips we'd give a friend before they spend money. Written for Birmingham and the wider Midlands.
All posts
13 posts · 6 categoriesWhy does my boiler keep losing pressure? A Birmingham homeowner's guide
A boiler that needs topping up every few weeks is telling you something — usually that water is escaping somewhere. Here's how to read the gauge, top it up safely, and work out whether you've got a leak.
Get your gutters ready before autumn: a Birmingham homeowner's guide
Guttering is the cheapest part of your house to look after and one of the most expensive to ignore. Here's how to get yours sorted in late summer, before the leaves come down and the rain arrives.
Landlord or tenant — who fixes what in a Birmingham rental? A plain-English repairs guide
The boiler's dead, there's a damp patch spreading in the back bedroom and nobody's sure whose job it is. Here's the honest split between landlord and tenant, what the law actually says, and how to report a repair so it gets done.
Why does the sealant round my bath keep going black? How to re-seal it properly in a Birmingham home
That black creeping line along the edge of the bath isn't dirt you can scrub off — it's mould growing in and under the silicone. Here's why it happens, how to strip it out and re-seal properly, and the shortcuts that make it come straight back.
Where's my stopcock? How to find and turn off the water in a Birmingham home
When a pipe bursts, the first 60 seconds matter more than the plumber — and they're spent hunting for the stopcock you've never had to touch. Here's where it is, how to shut the water off, and what to do if it won't budge.
Why is my roof leaking? How to find the source in a Birmingham home
A brown patch on the ceiling almost never sits directly under the hole. Here's how to actually track down a roof leak in a Midlands home — the usual culprits, the safe checks, and when to make it watertight fast.
How to stop condensation and black mould in a Midlands home (and when it's the landlord's job)
Black mould in the corners, streaming windows every morning, a musty bedroom — it's almost always condensation, not rising damp. Here's how to stop it: the free habits, the cheap kit, the jobs that actually work, and whose legal job it is in a rented home.
How to spot rising damp in a Midlands home — and what to do about it
A 1m-high tide mark on the wall. Salt deposits across the skirting. Paint that won't stop blistering. Here's what to actually look for, and how to tell rising damp apart from penetrating damp or condensation.
Emergency plumber, or wait until tomorrow? A Birmingham homeowner's decision guide
A 24/7 callout costs roughly twice what a same-week general-repair visit costs. So when does it actually warrant the premium? A short, honest guide.
HMO licensing in Birmingham — the 2026 update for landlords
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Coventry and Walsall all run different schemes. A 2026 quick-reference for landlords actively buying, converting or refinancing an HMO in the West Midlands.
Kitchen refurbishment cost guide — Birmingham 2026
From a £4,500 like-for-like fit through to a £25,000 open-plan kitchen-diner with a knock-through — what's actually realistic, and where the money really goes.
Voided property turnaround: what registered providers should actually expect
Average voids in the West Midlands sit at 28 days. Ours run at 6.2. The difference isn't speed — it's choreography. Here's how.
Ask us anything property-related.
If there's a guide you'd like us to write, tell us. We base the blog on the calls we actually get every week.