What to check in your property after a Costa del Sol storm

Storms here are not gentle. A gota fría can drop more rain in three hours than the previous three months combined, driven sideways by wind that finds every imperfect seal on the building. Then the calima arrives and coats everything in fine Saharan dust that turns to mud on the next shower.

The damage is rarely dramatic. It is a blocked drain, a lifted roof tile, a shutter that rattled loose. Left alone until the next visit in four months, each of those becomes an interior problem.

The post-storm checklist

• ·Terrace and roof drains — clear leaves, dust and debris; standing water on a terrace finds its way inside
• ·Window and terrace door seals — look for water marks on the inside of the reveal, not just the floor
• ·Shutters and awnings — check fixings, motors and that nothing is hanging loose over the street
• ·Terrace furniture and planters — righted, and anything that could become a projectile secured
• ·Ceilings under roof terraces and upstairs bathrooms — the first sign of ingress is a faint tide mark
• ·Air conditioning units and outdoor electrics — visible damage, water in casings, tripped breakers
• ·Communal areas near your unit — report damage to the community administrator promptly, it affects your claim

Document everything, immediately

Insurers on the Costa del Sol routinely ask when damage occurred and what was done about it. Dated photographs taken within days of the storm are worth far more than a description written months later. This is why every check we do ends with a photo report sent to you the same day.

Who opens the door when you are in Oslo?

That is the actual question. Storm damage has a short window where it stays cheap. We add extra unscheduled visits after significant weather for the homes we look after — see keyholding and property checks in Estepona or the full property management service.