Autumn is the season your roof quietly prepares for winter. Leaves come down, rain sets in, and the damp weeks between now and the first frost are exactly when moss and gutter problems take root. A short checklist now can save you a costly surprise in February — here’s what we’d check around your home this month.
1. Watch the gutters in the rain
Next time it rains properly, take a minute outside. Water spilling over the gutter edge, or trickling down the fascia, means leaves and debris have already found their way in. Blocked gutters don’t just overflow — the trapped water sits against the roof edge and finds every weak point. Gutters clogged with leaves, twigs and debris prevent the whole system from working as intended.
2. Look for green patches on the slopes
From the ground, check the roof slopes for green or dark patches, especially on the shaded side where the sun rarely reaches. Moss holds moisture against the tiles like a sponge — and when that moisture freezes, small cracks grow fast. The earlier it’s removed, the smaller the job.
3. Check what the wind brought down
After a blustery night, look at the garden. Bits of moss on the lawn or driveway, or tiny fragments of tile, are signs the roof is starting to shed what it no longer holds well. Moss that’s coming loose in autumn will be sitting in the gutters by December.
4. Mind the trees
Overhanging branches shade the roof, drop debris straight onto the tiles and keep surfaces damp for days. Trimming trees back now — something our tree surgery team does alongside roof work — removes the number one source of roof moss before winter locks the damp in.
5. Book the clean before winter sets in
A professional clean in autumn removes the season’s build-up before frost arrives, clears the gutters so winter rain runs away freely, and finishes with an anti-fungal treatment that slows re-growth right through the damp months. Roofs cleaned before winter are the ones that come out the other side unscathed.
