Autumn home maintenance checklist
Updated September 27, 2026 · 2 min read
Autumn is when a little maintenance saves the most trouble. Frost, rain and dark evenings are hard on a home, and most winter problems — burst outdoor taps, overflowing gutters, a heating system that gives up in January — can be prevented with a few hours of work in September and October.
Outside the house
- Clean gutters and downpipes once most leaves have fallen, and check that water runs away from the foundation.
- Look over the roof from the ground or with binoculars: loose or broken tiles, damaged flashing around the chimney, moss build-up.
- Shut off and drain outdoor taps before the first frost, and bring hoses inside. Water left in the pipe can freeze and split it.
- Clear drains and gullies of leaves so heavy autumn rain has somewhere to go.
- Store garden furniture, cushions and the lawn mower — empty or stabilise the fuel in a petrol mower before winter.
- Check outdoor lighting by the entrance and paths; the dark season is when you need it.
Heating, ventilation and fire safety
- Service the heating system before the cold arrives — boiler, heat pump or district heating unit, following the manufacturer's interval.
- Bleed radiators that are cold at the top, and check the system pressure afterwards.
- Clean or replace ventilation filters so the house can breathe while windows stay closed. See how often to replace filters.
- Book the chimney sweep if you have a fireplace or wood stove, and check that the damper closes.
- Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, and replace batteries if they are due.
- Check the fire extinguisher and fire blanket — the gauge should be in the green.
Inside
- Check window and door seals for draughts — a strip of weatherstripping is cheap compared to the heating bill.
- Look for damp in the basement, attic and behind furniture on outside walls, where condensation shows up first when it gets cold.
- Clean the kitchen extractor filter and the dishwasher filter.
- Find the main water stopcock and make sure everyone at home knows where it is.
Make it a routine instead of a to-do list
Most of these jobs come back every year, which is exactly what makes them easy to forget. In HomeTendr you add each one once as a recurring task — "Clean gutters, every year in October" — link it to an area like Garden or Roof, and it shows up in Upcoming when it is time.
Tip: link tasks such as "Service the heat pump" to the heat pump as an item, with its manual and warranty date attached. Then everything about it is in one place next year.