Most of the emergency call-outs we get between November and February trace back to something that was already visible in September. Roofs rarely fail without warning – they fail slowly, and then a gale finishes the job.

You do not need to climb anything to do this. A pair of binoculars from the garden covers most of it.

1. Slipped or missing tiles

Look along the roof line for gaps, or tiles sitting lower than their neighbours. One slipped tile is a small job. The same tile left through a winter lets water into the felt and battens underneath, and then it is not a small job any more.

2. The ridge line

The tiles running along the very top of the roof are bedded on mortar, and mortar has a life. If you can see cracking, or gaps where the mortar has fallen out, the ridge tiles are only being held on by their own weight. That is the part of a roof that a strong wind takes first.

3. Gutters and downpipes

Blocked gutters are the single most common cause of damp we get called out to. Water that cannot get away runs down the wall instead, and after a few months it shows up inside as a patch on the plaster. Clear the leaves before the autumn drop, not after.

4. Flashing around chimneys and valleys

The lead work where a roof meets a chimney, a wall or another roof slope takes more movement than anywhere else. Look for lead that has lifted at the edges or mortar that has opened up along the top edge of the flashing.

5. Inside the loft

On a bright day, go up and turn the light off. Daylight coming through where it should not is the clearest signal you will get. While you are there, look for staining on the timbers – that tells you water has been getting in for a while, even if it is dry today.

If any of that turns something up, we will come and look at it and tell you honestly whether it needs doing now or can wait. There is no charge for that.