Most of the damage that shows up with the first winter storm started earlier: a blocked gutter, a ridge with cracked mortar, tiles that were already out of place. This guide says what you can check yourself without climbing onto the roof, how often the technical sources recommend maintenance and when to call a professional. At the end there is a list to print.
Updated on 2 November 2026. General information. It does not replace an inspection of your roof by a specialist.
The essentials
- Check from the ground, from windows and from the loft. Do not climb onto the roof. According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, the best way to avoid a fall is not to go up.
- Once a year, inspection and cleaning. This is what the technical guide of the ceramics industry association (APICER) and the Centro Tecnológico da Cerâmica e do Vidro (CTCV, the ceramics and glass technology centre) recommends for clay tile roofs.
- Gutters and downpipes: twice a year, according to the same guide.
- Before heavy rain, Civil Protection asks people to clear rainwater drainage systems and secure loose structures.
- Three signs call for a professional now: a deformed roof, plants growing between the tiles, and degraded gutters or downpipes.
- The law requires upkeep: buildings must have maintenance works at least once in every eight years (article 89 of the RJUE, the urban development and building regime).
Why it is worth doing now
The APICER and CTCV guide (2nd edition, 2018) says that roof defects mainly come from a total lack of regular maintenance and that it is essential to set up a yearly routine of inspection and cleaning.
There is also a money reason. According to the law firm CMS, prior deterioration is among the typical grounds for refusing a claim, and water damage cover usually excludes old damp or lack of maintenance. A tile that was already loose and that the wind took may lead to an argument with the insurer. See the guide on home insurance and the roof after a storm.
How often
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| APICER and CTCV, clay roof tile guide (2018) | Yearly routine of roof inspection and cleaning |
| APICER and CTCV, same guide | Drainage system: regular maintenance twice a year |
| RJUE, article 89 | Maintenance works at least once in every eight years, and whenever safety or health require it |
| ANEPC, warning of 28 October 2025 | Before rain and wind: clear rainwater drainage and secure loose structures |
| ACT, fibre-cement leaflet | Fibre-cement with asbestos: monitor its condition, no fixed frequency |
The sources do not say which months. As general guidance, late autumn, after the leaves have fallen, and spring are the sensible times for the gutters.
Checking without climbing
The APICER guide expects the outside inspection to be done from an adjoining building, a raised spot or with a drone. For a homeowner, that means: from the ground with binoculars, from a higher window, from a neighbour’s terrace.
If you use a ladder to look into a low gutter, the ACT (labour inspectorate) leaflet on roof repairs gives these rules: a ladder in good condition, well supported and secured, at an angle of about 75 degrees and reaching 90 cm above the access level. Do not use the top rungs as a platform, do not move it while you are on it, and do not work alone. The ACT also points out that conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, and some medicines, increase the risk.
From the ground: what to look for
- Broken, displaced or missing tiles. A row out of line is a sign of tiles slipping.
- A sagging roof plane. A “belly” you can see from outside may come from the battens or the structure. The APICER guide says it needs an inspection from inside.
- Ridges and hips. Mortar cracked or falling off. The guide explains that mortar and tile expand differently and that, when the joint has degraded and lets water through, the work should be immediate.
- Moss, weeds and small shrubs between the tiles, along the eaves and in the gutters.
- Flashings around the chimney, skylights and walls that meet the roof: sheets lifted, loose or rusty.
- Aerials, panels and other equipment fixed to the roof. The ANEPC asks for loose structures to be properly secured before strong wind.
- Trees. Branches over the roof fall in the wind and fill the gutters with leaves.
In the loft: what to look for
Take a torch and go in daylight.
- Damp stains on the timber, the lining or the insulation. Compare with last year if you have photos.
- Light coming through between the tiles, on roofs with no lining.
- Dark, soft or crumbling timber, especially at the supports next to the walls.
- Drops on the underside of the tiles on cold days. The APICER guide explains that this is often condensation, not a faulty tile, and that it is mainly solved with ventilation under the tiles.
- Insulation that is wet, squashed or missing. If there is none, see the guide on roof insulation aid.
Gutters and downpipes
The APICER guide has a case on poor maintenance of drainage systems: when water does not drain well, there are leaks and the materials degrade. It recommends checking that no downpipe is emptying water straight onto the tiles, that the gutters have enough brackets and that their fixing withstands the wind.
From the ground, look for:
- water spilling over the front of the gutter when it rains;
- gutters bent, with sections fallen down or dripping at the joints;
- downpipes coming away from the wall or emptying next to the foundations;
- dark stains on the façade below the gutter.
Fibre-cement, metal sheet and sandwich panels
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, fibre-cement, fibreglass and plastic tend to become more fragile over time and steel roofs can rust. A fragile roof cannot take a person’s weight.
On an old fibre-cement roof, do not pressure-wash or brush off the moss. The ACT says that any handling can release asbestos fibres. From the ground, look for broken sheets, holes or crumbling. The next steps are in the guide on asbestos in the roof.
Checklist to print
| Item | Where to look | Warning sign | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles | From the ground, a window | Broken, displaced, rows out of line | ☐ |
| Roof plane | From the ground, side view | Sagging or wavy | ☐ |
| Ridges and hips | From the ground, binoculars | Mortar cracked or fallen | ☐ |
| Flashings | Chimney, skylights, walls | Sheet lifted, loose, rusty | ☐ |
| Plants | Roof, eaves, gutters | Thick moss, weeds, shrubs | ☐ |
| Gutters | From the ground, in the rain | Overflowing, fallen sections, dripping joints | ☐ |
| Downpipes | Façade | Loose, blocked, emptying at the foundations | ☐ |
| Equipment | Aerials, panels | Loose or bent brackets | ☐ |
| Trees | Garden, street | Branches over the roof | ☐ |
| Loft: damp | Timber, lining, insulation | New or larger stains | ☐ |
| Loft: structure | Beams and supports | Dark, soft, warped timber | ☐ |
| Loft: condensation | Underside of the tiles | Drops on cold days | ☐ |
| Fibre-cement | From the ground | Broken sheets, holes, crumbling | ☐ |
| Photos | Whole roof | Take and keep with the date | ☐ |
The photos let you compare from one year to the next and, if there is a claim, show the insurer the state of the roof before the storm.
What a professional checks
According to the APICER and CTCV guide, a technical inspection has three stages: pre-inspection (history of the building and earlier works), inspection from outside (covering, flashings, deformation, joints and drainage) and inspection from inside (structure, linings, inner finishes). It uses simple tools such as a blade, a hammer, a moisture meter and a camera and, if needed, equipment to measure the condition of the timber.
Ask at the end for a short report with photos, what was found and what is proposed, separating what is urgent from what can wait.
When to call a professional now
The APICER guide names three warning signs that call for closer analysis and, possibly, urgent work:
- marked deformation of the roof;
- parasitic plants growing;
- degradation of the drainage system.
Add to these, as general guidance: new stains on the ceiling after rain, missing tiles, loose flashings and any broken fibre-cement sheet.
What matters for the works
- Permit: cleaning and repairing the roof as it is counts as maintenance works, exempt. See the guide on roof works permits.
- VAT: roof cleaning pays 23%. Repair of a dwelling may pay 6% on labour. See the guide on VAT on roof works.
- If winter gets there first, see the guide damaged roof: what to do in the first 48 hours.
What we could not confirm
- The maintenance frequency for sandwich panels and metal sheet. We did not read a dated data sheet from a Portuguese manufacturer.
- The frequency for fibre-cement. The ACT talks about monitoring, with no deadline.
- The best months. The sources give the frequency, not the calendar.
- Prices for inspection and cleaning. We do not publish figures without an official source.
- The rules for using drones in inspections. We did not read them. If the professional uses a drone, ask whether it meets the rules in force.
Sources (read on 2 November 2026)
- APICER and CTCV, Guia para Projeto e Aplicação de Telhas Cerâmicas (guide to the design and laying of clay roof tiles), 2nd edition, 2018, chapter 7 (roof maintenance and rehabilitation: yearly routine, drainage twice a year, warning signs, condensation, ridges).
- ANEPC, Aviso à população n.º 19/DCS/2025, precipitação e vento, medidas preventivas (public warning on rain and wind, preventive measures), 28 October 2025.
- ACT, Reparação de telhados após intempéries (roof repairs after storms), leaflet, undated (ladder rules, physical condition).
- ACT, Fibrocimento (fibre-cement), leaflet, 2015.
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, FACTS 49, Safe work on roofs (Portuguese edition).
- Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99 (RJUE), article 89, PGDL consolidated version, with changes up to Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026, of 29 May.
- CMS Portugal, Orientações práticas para o acionamento de seguros após a tempestade Kristin (practical guidance on insurance claims after storm Kristin), 9 February 2026 (exclusions for lack of maintenance).