Here's a number worth a Saturday morning. New AA Home Insurance analysis, reported in early October 2026, found that 'escape of water' — leaks, burst pipes and failed plumbing — made up 24.4% of all home insurance claims over the past year, with storm damage adding another 17.1%. As the AA's researchers put it, 'Most serious water damage doesn't happen overnight. It often starts with something as simple as a dripping pipe, blocked gutter or a worn bathroom seal.' The jobs that prevent those claims are small, cheap and dull — which is exactly why they get put off until they're expensive.
The small jobs the whole country is Googling
The same research showed how many of us try to muddle through these jobs ourselves: 'how to clean gutters' and 'how to clear drains' are each searched over 10,000 times a year, 'how to seal bathroom' around 12,000 times, and 'how to repair roof leak' nearly 4,700. There's nothing wrong with a bit of DIY — but a wobbly ladder in an October gale, or sealant that doesn't last the winter, often costs more than booking someone who'll do it once, properly.
The autumn jobs that earn their keep
These are the booked-in, non-specialist jobs that quietly prevent the big claims:
- Clearing gutters and downpipes before the autumn leaves and winter rain — blocked gutters push water back into walls and roofs.
- Clearing slow outside drains and gullies so heavy rain runs away instead of pooling against the house.
- Re-sealing baths, showers and around sinks — worn silicone is the single most common way water gets behind tiles.
- Checking and refixing loose roof tiles, flashing and ridge caps, and sorting minor roof-leak points before they soak the loft.
- Resealing or adjusting external doors and windows so driving rain stays out.
- Refixing fence panels, gates and shed felt before the winter gales find the weak ones.
None of this is glamorous, and none of it is gas or electrical work — which is exactly our lane. (If a job turns out to need a plumber for pipework or an electrician for wiring, we'll tell you straight and point you the right way.) What a handyman is perfect for is the backlog of small exterior and sealing jobs that, left alone, become a four-figure repair and an insurance excess.
"The gutter clear you keep meaning to book costs about the same as a nice dinner out. The damage from not booking it costs about the same as a used car."
A single half-day visit can knock most of these off the list in one go. Across Derby and Derbyshire, that's the kind of visit we do all autumn — the unglamorous jobs that stop a stressful winter.
Book the boring jobs before winter
Get the gutters, drains, seals and roofline sorted in one half-day visit. Kirk Group Handyman covers Derby and Derbyshire.
Published by Kirk Group Editorial
More Articles