The older the building, the greater the need for regular basic maintenance.

'Older walk-up buildings, like those in SoHo and Wan Chai, often have things that need fixing that aren't too complicated,' says Mr Corke, who is often commissioned to provide a professional estimate on property condition and renovation needs and costs when home seekers find a flat they want to buy.

'If I could find a cure for damp patches, I'd be a millionaire. Hong Kong is full of them. Some of the most common ones are found around air-conditioner seals, which are often made of foam rubber. This is easy to replace if it's worn, as is the silicon seal around the air-con unit that is installed in a window frame. Some people poke wires for TV aerials through the silicon seal - this is an easy way for water to get in and cause damage [to surrounding wall surfaces].

'If damp areas are too serious, though, plaster may have to be stripped to the brick and replaced by a professional.'

Resealing silicon edges is a simple operation that can be carried out for bathroom freshening.

'Cut out the old silicon, clean and dry the surface, then reapply the new silicon through the nozzle of a gun that holds the tube,' Mr Corke says. 'Both gun and tube cost around $20 each. Don't use the small tubes that are sold with a small scraper - they may be a bit cheaper but are harder to control.'

The aluminium window frames used in most apartments are prone to wear and tear. Handles often come loose or snap.

'I've seen a lot of people wiring them closed during typhoons but they are easy to replace.'

Handles are fixed to frames with two pop rivets. Take the handles to your nearest window supplier to get the right size replacement; you can buy rivets and a rivet gun there too - it costs about $50. Handles cost up to $20.

Worn rubber window seals are also easily replaced - buy the seals by the metre and slide them onto grooved tracks along the edge of aluminium frames.

Mr Corke says he has seen plenty of leaking sinks that had rags wrapped around or a bucket under their bottle traps.

'This is actually really easy to fix. The bottle trap has three joints secured by screw-on, hand-tightened vacuum rings. It is easy to buy seals for all sink pipe sizes and they cost around $20,' he says.

Kitchen sink plugholes are prone to leaks, too, as a result of central screws rusting. These can be replaced; when stuck fast, the whole plughole is easily replaced, Mr Corke says.

With a bit of effort you may reward yourself with the satisfaction of a job well done and save a few dollars at the same time.

Mr Corke says that you should invest in quality tools when attempting DIY jobs. Christmas or Father's Day gift sets may look the part but are usually shoddily made.

Good-quality screwdrivers, hammers and other tools are not expensive and will help make maintenance more manageable. Drills under $250, he says, are generally not up to the job.