Your home is your most valuable asset, so it’s important to take action now to protect it ahead of the winter weather. The colder months can take a real toll on your home, inside and out, so here are some steps you can take to make sure as you incur as little cost or damage as possible.

The roof is one part of the house that is often forgotten about, but it can cause serious problems if it is not properly maintained. Fallen leaves and other debris can clog up pipes and drains and this can lead to leaks and rain getting blocked.

Clearing out your roof is dangerous work, but you can get a roofing specialist to do it all for you for a couple of hundred dollars. Despite the cost, it is money well spent. Problems on or in the roof have the potential to be very tricky and therefore costly to repair.

If you’re planning on using wood fires to keep warm this winter, then getting a chimney sweep is vital. A chimney not working properly poses a real danger, including soot build-up or in the case of gas fires, a blocked flue outlet. Apart from the danger, a faulty fireplace could also impact a home and contents insurance claim, so this is one step you do not want to miss.

With fires, electric blankets, heaters and hot water bottles all getting used again, it’s important to be careful and always read instructions carefully.

Homeowners need to be regularly checking their smoke alarms to ensure they are working correctly, whether they are battery operated or wired to the mains electricity.

And for those with a gas heater at home, you need to make sure it is regularly maintained by a qualified and registered agent. A faulty heater can lead to the cause of a fire and its fumes can also be dangerous to those living in the home.