The five checks all homeowners need to make after a storm

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for Storm Austen, with gusts of 60 to 70mph expected widely across Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Devon as the storm crosses southern Britain late Thursday and through Friday morning, and up to 80mph possible on exposed headlands.

A wider yellow wind warning covers much of England and Wales over the same period, with a separate yellow rain warning across parts of Scotland. Forecasters are also watching another area of low pressure that could bring strong winds to northern parts of the UK over the weekend, with further warnings possible, though nothing has been confirmed or named yet.

Once the wind drops and the rain clears, George Edwards, Managing Director of Timberwise, says the real work for homeowners is only just starting.

“Before any of that, just be careful where you’re walking,” Edwards says. “Stay well back from walls, fences and trees that might have been weakened, and don’t go anywhere near anything that’s come down close to power or telephone lines. Once it’s actually safe to look properly, that’s when the checks start.”

Check the roof before anything else

“The roof’s always the first thing I tell people to look at, and the last thing I want them climbing up to check,” he says. “Walk round the house and look from the ground, or use binoculars if you’ve got them. You’re looking for tiles that have slipped, cracked or gone missing, and any debris that’s landed up there.”

Clear gutters and downpipes

Edwards says gutters and downpipes take more punishment in a storm than people assume. “They fill up with exactly the stuff they’re meant to stay clear of, leaves, branches, bits of someone’s fence panel from three doors down,” he says. “If water’s overflowing somewhere it shouldn’t, or pooling at the base of a wall, it’s usually because something’s gone wrong with the gutter itself, blocked, knocked loose or disconnected in the wind. Either way, water running down an external wall is exactly how damp gets started.”

Look for new cracks in the walls

Walls deserve a proper look too. “A storm can crack brickwork outright, especially anywhere that was already weakened, or it can take something that was only just starting to show and make it obvious,” Edwards says. “Check render, brickwork and pointing for anything new, especially on the side of the house that took the worst of it. A fine hairline is rarely urgent. Anything wider, or a door or window that’s suddenly started sticking, is worth getting looked at properly.”

Check windows and door seals

“Driving rain finds every gap a dry day hides,” Edwards says. “Check the seals for perishing or damage, and look for water staining or a damp patch that wasn’t there before the storm. That’s often the first sign a seal’s given way.”

Check inside for signs of water getting in

“A slipped tile or a failed seal doesn’t always announce itself from outside,” Edwards says. “Go up into the loft if you can get to it safely, and look for damp patches on ceilings, staining on upstairs walls, or timber that feels damp to the touch. That’s usually where storm damage shows up first, often before anyone’s noticed anything wrong outside.”

Photograph any damage before repairs start if you can, but don’t let that hold up something urgent. “If a hole needs covering or a pipe needs stopping, get it done safely first and keep hold of the receipts,” Edwards says. “Your insurer will want those as much as the photos.” The quicker any of that gets sorted, he adds, the less chance a slipped tile or a failed seal has to let water sit somewhere it shouldn’t for long enough to turn a storm repair into a damp or timber problem instead.