Spring home maintenance checklist

Winter gales lift tiles and open the flashing, and the first sign indoors is usually a stain on a bedroom ceiling. Leave ladders and roof work to a roofer.

UK guidance on damp describes penetrating damp as water that gets in from outside through defects in walls, roofs, windows or floors, and an overflowing gutter soaks a wall every time it rains.

Failed pointing and cracked render let rain soak into the wall, which is one of the routes penetrating damp takes.

Wet winters find every gap, and a failed seal lets both water and heat through.

UK Health Security Agency guidance is blunt that simply removing surface mould will not prevent the damp and mould from reappearing: the cause has to be found and fixed.

The same guidance says that if a dwelling is inadequately ventilated, moisture cannot escape the building and is more likely to cause condensation.

HSE requires landlords to arrange a gas safety check every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the NHS advises contacting a Gas Safe registered engineer to make sure heating and cooking appliances are working properly.

Blocked gullies push rainwater back against the house, which is a common cause of damp at the base of a wall.

GOV.UK's flood guidance says to know where your water stop tap, the gas shut-off valve by the meter and the mains switch on the fuse board are.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advises testing alarms weekly with the test button, replacing batteries yearly and replacing each alarm every 10 years.

HSE says asbestos may be part of any commercial or domestic building built or refurbished before the year 2000, and that sprayed coatings, lagging and insulating board must only be removed by an HSE-licensed contractor.

GOV.UK advises getting flood warnings by text, phone or email and checking your long term flood risk from rivers, the sea, surface water, reservoirs and groundwater.

The Met Office advises checking for loose items outside the home and planning how to secure them in high winds, and a leaning fence panel is next winter's flying debris.

A damp British winter leaves paths genuinely slippery, and moss holds water against paving and timber.

Winter storms leave damaged limbs behind. Never work near overhead lines yourself: call the network operator or a qualified tree surgeon.