Right now, before the onset of winter, is the time to start thinking about getting your house in order. Before the nights start drawing in and the chill factor starts to make its presence felt, you should spare a thought for your home and prepare a rigorous internal and external check-up of what, after all, is likely to be your most valuable asset.

If all that sounds too much like hard work, you might consider commissioning your property manager or a building surveyor to visit your home to make arrangements for contractors to perform a bi-annual maintenance check to save yourself the time and hassle of forgetting to do it yourself each year.

The leaves might not yet have started falling from the trees, yet vegetation may be growing in your gutters after the summer, so it would be wise to have all your gutters and downpipes checked over, particularly if you?ve already noticed the rainwater flooding over your gutters and pouring down your walls.

Next time it rains, go outside and check that the gutters are flowing freely, and if you detect a blockage anywhere, ask your property manager to make arrangements for the debris to be removed as soon as possible. It?s also a good idea to cut back any vegetation growing against the walls of the house because while this may look appealing in the summer sunshine, the likes of ivy can be very invasive, cutting it back minimises any risk of damp or damage.

And before the first winter westerly wind whips up any loose roof slates, or causes water to drip down an internal wall, it?s well worth having your roof checked to have any cracked tiles replaced and any loose tiles tightened up. On no account should you consider venturing up on the roof yourself. This is extremely dangerous at any time - but particularly so at this time of year. Again, ask your property manager to contact a roofing contractor to carry out a maintenance check for you.

Bear in mind that frost can play havoc with poorly maintained walls, so arrange for a contractor to check the pointing on your exterior walls and make sure that the water can run off without interruption. And, while he?s at it, ask your contractor to check your windows to make sure you don?t have any rotten sills.

Every winter hospital A&E departments are inundated by patients hobbling in with broken limbs caused by slipping on ice, so try to ensure that any external paving around your home doesn?t turn into a skating rink next time it freezes over by making sure that your driveways and pathways are well drained to avoid water collecting.

Other considerations such as boundary walls, garages and sheds are easily overlooked, but as you?ll soon be storing away your lawnmower for winter, you?ll want to make sure that, come next spring, it?s still in working order, which means checking that your garage or shed is watertight.

If necessary, you should contact your local authority to ensure that the road drainage is kept tidy and clear of any debris. In many instances there may be little wrong with your property but the road drainage has become blocked and caused flooding.

Moving inside, it?s worth making arrangements to have your insulation checked to ensure that it is still in good working order. Most of us already know the importance of loft insulation, but you might not know that a third of heat is lost in the home through the walls, so additional insulation might be worth considering if you think this is a problem in your home.
And just as we tend to throw open the windows on the first warm day, so we tend to keep windows tightly shut to prevent heat loss and save energy during the winter. But letting a property breathe occasionally is as important as stopping the cold air from coming in. Condensation and damp on window sills, furniture and walls can easily be prevented by simply opening the windows every now and then.

To avoid escalating heating bills, try to minimize draughts around windows and doors. Double-glazing cuts down heat loss through windows by 50%.Curtains can also make a big difference to heat loss. And while stripped wooden floors might look appealing, consider laying down rugs in the winter to reduce drafts rising up between the floor boards. It?s also important to have your heating system checked over. Arrange for your boiler to be serviced, ensure that your hot water tank is well insulated and your radiators bled.

Putting off such checks and maintenance procedures for another year can prove to be an expensive mistake. Remember, your home is probably your most valuable asset. Surely that value is worth protecting?
Jack Fulton is a Director at Ross + Liddell property managers

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