Most home maintenance can wait. The particular problem with autumn jobs is that they cannot, because the weather they protect against is the weather that makes them impossible to do. A gutter cleared in September is a straightforward hour with a ladder. The same gutter in January, after it has been overflowing down a wall for three months, is a considerably larger conversation.
None of what follows is difficult or expensive. It is mostly a matter of getting to it while the days are still long enough and the ground is still dry enough to bother.
Gutters, downpipes and where the water actually goes
Leaves come down over a period of weeks rather than all at once, which is why clearing gutters too early tends to be wasted effort. Late October or early November, once the trees nearby are mostly bare, is usually the right moment. Clear the debris, flush the run with a hose, and watch where the water goes rather than assuming it goes somewhere sensible.
The downpipe matters as much as the gutter. A blockage at the bottom of the run backs water up the whole length of it, and the first sign is often a damp patch on an internal wall rather than anything visible outside. Check that the base of the downpipe discharges into a gully rather than onto the ground, and that the gully itself is not full of silt and leaves. Ground level drains are the single most neglected part of most houses and the easiest to clear with a trowel and a bucket.
While you are looking up, check the joints. Plastic guttering sags and separates over time, and a joint that has pulled apart will drip steadily onto brickwork all winter.
The roof, from the ground
A full roof inspection is a job for someone with the right equipment, but a great deal can be spotted from the garden with a pair of binoculars. Slipped or cracked tiles, gaps along the ridge, missing pointing on the verges and lifted or corroded flashing around chimneys and abutments are all visible from below, and all get worse quickly once the autumn gales arrive.
Chimneys deserve particular attention. If you have an open fire or a stove that will be in use over the winter, having the flue swept before you light it is straightforward and worth booking early, because sweeps get busy from September onwards. It is also a good moment to check that the pot and flaunching look sound.
Running the heating before you need it
The most common time for a boiler to fail is the first genuinely cold week of the year, when every heating engineer in the county is already booked. Turning the system on for an hour in September, well before you need it, gives you time to discover a problem while it is still an inconvenience rather than an emergency.
Run it and then walk round the house. Radiators that are hot at the bottom and cold at the top need bleeding. Radiators that stay cold altogether may need the valve freeing off, which often happens after a summer of sitting unused. Check the system pressure while the boiler is running and again once it has cooled. If you have not had an annual service, book it now rather than in December.
It is also worth looking at what the system is doing rather than just whether it works. Thermostatic valves set high in rooms nobody uses, a timer still on a summer schedule and a hot water cylinder without a jacket are all quietly expensive. The Energy Saving Trust has clear guidance on getting a heating system running efficiently, and most of it costs nothing to act on.
Draughts, and the difference between draughts and ventilation
Draught-proofing is among the cheapest improvements available and one of the most immediately noticeable. Letterboxes, keyholes, loft hatches, gaps under skirting and the perimeter of old window frames all leak heat, and sealing them is inexpensive work.
The important distinction is between an uncontrolled draught and deliberate ventilation. Air bricks, trickle vents, extractor fans and the airflow beneath a suspended timber floor all serve a purpose, and blocking them causes condensation and eventually rot. Every autumn some homes get sealed a little too enthusiastically and develop mould on the cold walls by February. Seal the gaps, leave the vents alone, and make sure the extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom actually work, because they will be doing considerably more once the windows stop being opened.
Outside taps and exposed pipework
An outside tap that is not isolated and drained before the first hard frost is a burst pipe waiting to happen, usually inside the wall rather than outside it. Turn off the internal isolating valve, open the tap to drain the run, and lag any exposed pipework in unheated spaces. The same applies to pipes in the loft and in an unheated garage or outbuilding. Lagging costs very little and the alternative is expensive.
The garden, before the weather turns
Trees are the priority. Any dead or overhanging branches near the house, a shed, a boundary or a parked car are best dealt with before the autumn storms rather than after, and tree surgeons book up as the season progresses. If the tree is subject to a preservation order or sits within a conservation area, consent may be required before work starts, so check with the relevant council before instructing anyone. The Planning Portal is a useful starting point for understanding what needs permission.
Fence panels and gate posts that are already loose will not survive a gale, and replacing one panel in October is easier than replacing four in December. Move garden furniture under cover, drain and store hoses, and clear paths of the leaves and algae that make them genuinely dangerous once they are wet.
Damp, condensation and the things that only show up in winter
Autumn is the point to look for the early signs of the problems that develop over winter. Check the loft for daylight, staining and damp insulation. Look at the internal faces of external walls, particularly in corners, behind furniture and in the coldest bedroom. Make sure external ground levels have not built up above the damp proof course, which happens gradually with successive layers of gravel or new paving and is a common cause of damp in older houses.
If you own a period property with solid walls, the guidance is different from a modern house, and materials that trap moisture tend to make matters worse rather than better. It is worth taking advice specific to the construction before undertaking anything substantial.
Keeping a home in good order
Steady maintenance is also, in practice, the best preparation for selling. Surveys pick up the consequences of neglect rather than neglect itself, and a well-kept house gives a buyer less to negotiate over. If you are thinking about the market in the new year, you can arrange a valuation to get a sense of where you stand, or read more about how we approach selling. Landlords with maintenance obligations across a portfolio can find out about our lettings and property management support.
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