3 Exterior Home Checks to Make After the Holidays

What should you check around your home after taking down holiday decorations?

After the holidays, check your gutters, nearby trees and vegetation, and roof for visible issues that may need attention.

Taking down outdoor lights and decorations naturally puts your attention on parts of your home you may not inspect regularly. Before you call the job finished, use the opportunity to complete a simple post-holiday home checklist. A quick look at three exterior areas can help you spot minor concerns before they become larger repair needs.

One important distinction: you don’t need to perform these checks from a ladder or climb onto your roof. Inspect what you can safely see from the ground or another secure vantage point. If removing decorations or addressing a maintenance issue requires working at an unsafe height, leave the job to an experienced professional. Falls are a common holiday decorating-related injury, making caution around ladders especially important.

1. What Should You Check Around Your Gutters and Downspouts?

Start your post-holiday home checklist by taking a look at your gutters and downspouts. Gutters help move rainwater away from your home, so debris, loose sections or drainage problems deserve attention.

Look for visible signs of:

• Leaves, twigs or other debris collecting in gutters
• Sagging or loose gutter sections
• Downspouts that are loose, disconnected or blocked
• Water stains or signs that water has been spilling over gutter edges
• Downspouts that aren’t directing water away from your home

Keeping gutters and downspouts clear helps water drain where it should. Regular inspection can also help you identify damaged or loose sections before another heavy rainfall. Seasonal home-care guidance commonly recommends checking both gutters and downspouts along with the roof.

If your gutters need cleaning and you can’t reach them safely, consider hiring a professional rather than combining gutter work with taking down decorations.

2. Which Trees and Branches Should You Check Near Your Home?

Once you’ve looked at the gutters, step back and scan the trees and other vegetation surrounding your house.

Look for:

• Dead, broken or damaged branches
• Limbs hanging over or touching your roof
• Branches rubbing against your home
• Vines or other vegetation growing against the structure
• Tree limbs close to electrical or utility lines

Branches overhanging a home can become a property hazard, particularly when they are dead, damaged or structurally weak. Pruning can help protect people and property, but tree work near electrical or utility lines should be left to the appropriate professionals.

Small branches or vegetation that can be safely reached from the ground may be simple to address. Larger limbs, high branches and anything near power or utility lines? Call for professional help.

The goal of this part of your post-holiday home checklist isn’t to turn decoration removal into a landscaping project. It’s simply to notice whether something around your home needs attention.

3. What Roof Problems Can You Spot From the Ground?

Your roof is another area worth checking while your attention is already focused on your home’s exterior. You don’t need to climb onto it. From the ground or another safe vantage point, look for visible changes or damage.

What you see will depend partly on your roof material:

• Asphalt-shingle roof: Look for shingles that appear loose, missing, cracked, curling or otherwise damaged.

• Tile roof: Watch for visibly cracked, chipped, displaced or missing tiles.

• Metal roof: Look for visible dents, corrosion, loose areas or other changes in the roof surface.

Roof and gutter inspections are commonly included in seasonal home-check recommendations because visible damage can signal a need for closer professional evaluation.

If something looks different from the last time you checked, don’t try to investigate by walking on the roof. A qualified roofing professional can safely determine whether a repair is necessary.

<h2>Why Is Routine Home Upkeep Important for Your Insurance?</h2>

Spotting an issue doesn’t automatically mean you have an insurance claim. Homeowners insurance is designed to protect against covered losses. Routine upkeep and deterioration from ordinary wear and tear, on the other hand, are generally the homeowner’s responsibility.

This distinction is one more reason regular exterior checks are useful. Finding a loose gutter, deteriorating roof material or problem tree branch gives you an opportunity to address a maintenance concern before it has time to worsen.

Keep records of significant repairs and professional inspections. And review your homeowners policy so you understand your coverage, limits, and responsibilities. If you’re unsure how your policy would apply to a particular type of damage, your insurance agent can help explain your coverage.

<h2>How Often Should You Check Your Home’s Exterior?</h2>

There’s no need to wait for a problem before looking over your home. Seasonal transitions and routine outdoor tasks can provide convenient reminders to check its condition.

Taking down holiday decorations is one such reminder. You’re already looking at the roofline, landscaping, and exterior of your home – which makes it a practical time for three quick observations.

Your post-holiday home checklist can also help establish a simple habit: periodically step back and look at your home for anything visibly loose, damaged, blocked or changed. Maintenance checklists commonly include recurring inspections of roofs, gutters, downspouts and landscaping rather than waiting until an obvious problem develops.

The key is knowing where an observation ends and a repair begins. Roof access, difficult-to-reach gutters, large tree limbs and work near utilities are good reasons to call a qualified professional.

<h2>Frequently Asked Questions About Post-Holiday Home Checks</h2>

<h3>What should I check outside my home after the holidays?</h3>

After the holidays, check your gutters and downspouts, nearby trees and vegetation, and roof for visible issues. These three exterior areas can reveal debris, damage, or other concerns that may need maintenance or professional attention.

<h3>Should I clean my gutters while taking down holiday decorations?</h3>

Gutters can be checked while you’re already outside taking down decorations – but only clean them if you can do so safely. If reaching the gutters requires unsafe ladder work, have a qualified professional handle the cleaning.

<h3>Should I trim branches touching or hanging over my roof?</h3>

Branches touching or hanging over your roof should be evaluated and addressed when needed, but large, high, or hazardous branches should be handled by a professional. Never attempt to prune trees near electrical or utility lines.

<h3>Can I inspect my roof without climbing onto it?</h3>

You can look for many visible roof problems from the ground or another safe vantage point, including missing or damaged shingles, displaced tiles, corrosion or other noticeable changes. A roofing professional can perform a closer inspection if you see something concerning.

<h3>Does homeowners insurance cover roof wear and tear?</h3>

Homeowners insurance generally isn’t intended to pay for routine upkeep or deterioration caused by ordinary wear and tear. Whether particular roof damage is covered depends on the cause of the damage and the terms of your homeowners policy.

<h3>Why check your home when taking down holiday decorations?</h3>

Taking down holiday decorations brings your attention to exterior areas you may not inspect regularly. Using the occasion for a quick visual check can help you identify gutter, tree or roof concerns that may need attention.

<h2>Start the New Year With a Quick Check Around Your Home</h2>

Your post-holiday home checklist doesn’t need to become another major January project. Once the decorations come down, take a few minutes to look at your gutters and downspouts, nearby trees and vegetation, and roof. If you notice an issue you can’t safely address yourself, bring in the right professional.

Routine home upkeep can help you identify problems early, while the right homeowners insurance helps protect you when a covered loss occurs.

If you’re an Edison Insurance Company policyholder and have questions about your coverage, contact your agent. If you’re looking for homeowners insurance, get a quote from Edison Insurance Company and explore your coverage options.

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