October in Edmonton can be deceptive. One afternoon you’re outside in a light jacket wondering why everyone keeps talking about winter. Not long afterward, you’re scraping frost from the windshield and trying to remember where you put the snow brush.

Your home doesn’t get much more warning than you do.

That’s what makes early fall such a useful time to take care of the little jobs that are easy to ignore when the weather is pleasant—and considerably less enjoyable when you’re trying to do them with cold fingers.

Preparing a home for winter doesn’t have to mean an expensive renovation or an entire weekend sacrificed to a seemingly endless maintenance list. Much of it comes down to checking a handful of places where water, cold air, snow and ice can create problems once temperatures begin dropping.

And renters aren’t excluded. While some jobs belong to the property owner or property manager, there are plenty of things renters can check or improve themselves—and a few potential problems worth reporting before winter arrives.

Here are 10 places to start.

1. Disconnect the Garden Hose Before It Becomes a Problem

It’s one of the simplest jobs on the list, which may be exactly why it’s so easy to forget.

Once you’re finished regularly watering the lawn and garden, disconnect hoses from exterior faucets and drain them before storing them for winter. A hose left attached can hold water where you don’t want it. When temperatures drop below freezing, that water can freeze and expand.

Depending on your home’s plumbing and the type of exterior faucet installed, winter preparation may also involve shutting off the interior supply to the outdoor faucet and draining the remaining water from the line.

If you have a frost-free exterior faucet, don’t assume that means you can leave the hose attached all winter. The design needs an opportunity to drain properly.

While you’re there, look for dripping faucets, damaged connections or anything else that seems unusual. A small plumbing problem is much nicer to discover on an October afternoon than during an Edmonton cold snap.

For renters: Disconnecting your own garden hose is easy enough, but don’t start closing unfamiliar plumbing valves unless you know what they control. If an exterior faucet leaks or you’re unsure whether it needs to be winterized, contact your landlord or property manager.

2. Give Your Gutters and Downspouts a Clear Path

By October, those beautiful fall leaves have an unfortunate habit of ending up exactly where you don’t want them.

Take a look at your gutters and downspouts after most nearby trees have dropped their leaves. Leaves, twigs and other debris can restrict drainage and leave water sitting where it shouldn’t.

Also check where your downspouts discharge. Water should be directed away from the foundation rather than collecting beside the house.

This matters beyond autumn. Edmonton winters can include periods of freezing, thawing and refreezing. Water that can’t move away from the home can contribute to ice buildup and drainage problems.

If you aren’t comfortable working from a ladder—or your gutters are particularly high—this is a good job to leave to someone with the proper equipment and experience. Saving the cost of professional gutter cleaning isn’t much of a bargain if the afternoon ends with a trip to the emergency room.

3. Find the Drafts Before Winter Finds Them for You

A tiny gap around a window or exterior door may not seem particularly important on a mild October day.

It tends to become considerably more noticeable in January.

Walk around the home and inspect exterior doors and accessible windows. Look for worn or missing weatherstripping, visible gaps and damaged caulking. On a cool or windy day, you may even be able to feel air entering around problem areas.

Weatherstripping is one of those relatively inexpensive improvements that can make a room noticeably more comfortable. Door sweeps can also help where cold air enters beneath an exterior door.

Pay attention to the condition of caulking around window and door frames as well. Exterior caulking isn’t simply there to make things look tidy; properly maintained seals help keep unwanted air and moisture out of the building envelope.

That doesn’t mean every draft requires a brand-new window. Sometimes the problem is much smaller—and thankfully, so is the bill.

For renters: Removable weather-sealing products may be an option, but check your lease or ask permission before applying anything permanent. Damaged windows, doors or existing weatherstripping should generally be reported rather than quietly lived with all winter.

4. Make Sure Your Heating System Is Ready to Work

There are few household sounds quite as reassuring on the first genuinely cold morning as the furnace starting normally.

The opposite is also true.

Before your heating system begins doing its heaviest work, replace or inspect the furnace filter according to the equipment manufacturer’s recommendations and the type of filter you’re using. A dirty filter can restrict airflow and make the system work harder.

Keep the area around the furnace clear. Household storage has an impressive ability to migrate toward unused floor space, but mechanical equipment needs appropriate clearance.

Take a look at supply registers and return-air grilles throughout the house as well. Make sure they haven’t been accidentally blocked by furniture, rugs, boxes or the decorating decision that seemed perfectly reasonable in July.

If the furnace has been making unusual noises, cycling strangely, producing unusual odours or simply hasn’t been professionally serviced in a long time, fall is a sensible time to have a qualified HVAC professional assess it.

Don’t wait for the coldest night of the year to discover that the furnace has been trying to tell you something since September.

For renters: You can usually keep vents unobstructed and follow whatever filter responsibilities are specified in your lease, but heating-system repairs belong with the landlord or property manager. Report problems early.

5. Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Winter means furnaces and other fuel-burning equipment are working more often, which makes this a particularly good time to check your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Test each alarm according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Check its age and replacement guidance, and replace batteries where applicable. If an alarm has been chirping, damaged or disconnected, don’t put off dealing with it.

Alberta has specific requirements for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in residential buildings, and the requirements can vary depending on the home, its equipment and other circumstances. If you’re unsure whether your alarms meet current requirements or whether they’re installed in the proper locations, check current Alberta safety-code information or consult your local fire department or a qualified professional.

And one small reminder that’s easy to overlook: if you remove a battery because an alarm is sounding unnecessarily, don’t leave the alarm disabled. Deal with whatever caused the problem and return the alarm to working order.

6. Take a Slow Walk Around the Outside of Your Home

You don’t need to be a home inspector to notice that something has changed.

Walk around the property slowly and look up as well as down.

Are shingles visibly damaged or missing? Are there loose pieces of siding or trim? Has caulking deteriorated around exterior penetrations? Are there cracks or openings that weren’t obvious earlier in the year? Are railings, steps and handrails secure before snow and ice make them more important?

Look at grading and drainage around the foundation. Soil should generally encourage water to move away from the home rather than toward it. Watch for low areas where water tends to collect.

Also examine trees and larger branches around the house. Dead or damaged branches can become more troublesome under snow, ice and winter winds.

The goal isn’t to diagnose every imperfection yourself. It’s to notice changes while the weather still makes inspection and repairs relatively convenient.

If something looks significant—or you’re unsure what you’re looking at—bring in an appropriate professional.

7. Give Your Entryway a Winter Promotion

For several months of the year, the entrance to an Edmonton home is expected to handle considerably more than people.

Soon there will be boots, wet footwear, snow, grit, coats, gloves, scarves and the occasional mystery puddle that nobody seems willing to claim.

October is a good time to prepare the area before all of that arrives at once.

Make sure you have a durable mat or boot tray capable of containing melting snow and water. Check that exterior steps and walkways are in reasonable condition and that outdoor lighting works properly as daylight becomes shorter.

Think about where wet coats and winter accessories will actually go. A few hooks, baskets or an inexpensive storage solution can prevent the front entrance from becoming a daily obstacle course.

For homeowners, it’s also worth deciding where the snow shovel and ice-control materials will live. Put them somewhere accessible before the first significant snowfall.

Storing the snow shovel behind the patio furniture, lawn mower and six boxes of summer decorations technically counts as storage. It just isn’t particularly strategic storage.

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At this point, you’ve taken care of many of the obvious winter-preparation jobs: water, drainage, drafts, heating, safety, the exterior and the daily battle zone otherwise known as the front entrance.

But some of the easiest things to overlook are still inside the home.

8. Check the Places Where Warm Air Can Escape

Windows and doors aren’t the only places where unwanted air movement can occur.

Depending on the home, attic access hatches, poorly sealed penetrations and other gaps can contribute to drafts and heat loss. You don’t need to dismantle the house looking for them, but pay attention to rooms or areas that consistently feel colder than the rest of the home.

An attic hatch, for example, should close properly and be appropriately insulated and sealed. If you notice staining, frost, moisture, condensation or other signs that something isn’t behaving normally around the attic or ceiling, don’t simply cover it up.

Those symptoms can have several causes, and guessing isn’t a substitute for determining what’s actually happening.

This is also where a professional energy assessment, insulation contractor or qualified home professional may be useful if your home is persistently uncomfortable or energy use seems unusually high.

The objective isn’t to make your home airtight at all costs. Homes still require proper ventilation. The goal is to reduce uncontrolled air leakage while allowing the home’s intended ventilation systems to do their jobs.

9. Prepare the Things That Live Outside

Your house isn’t the only thing that needs to get through winter.

Drain and store garden hoses. Clean and put away gardening tools. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for winter storage of lawn equipment, pressure washers and other seasonal equipment.

Outdoor furniture may need to be cleaned, covered or stored depending on the materials. Empty planters and containers that can crack when water freezes deserve attention too.

If you have a barbecue that will remain outside, follow its manufacturer’s guidance and keep it positioned and stored safely. Never move outdoor cooking equipment indoors or into an enclosed space for use.

This is also a good time to check exterior electrical cords, decorative lighting and receptacle covers. Damaged outdoor electrical equipment shouldn’t be given one more season simply because it survived the last one.

A little time spent putting things away properly in October also makes spring considerably more pleasant. Future-you may not send a thank-you card, but future-you will appreciate it.

10. Build a Small Winter-Ready Home Kit

Most winter preparation focuses on the building itself. It’s worth spending a few minutes thinking about the people inside it too.

You don’t need to turn the basement into a survival bunker.

A practical household kit might include flashlights, fresh batteries, a basic first-aid kit, phone charging options, blankets and other supplies appropriate for your household. Keep important numbers accessible, including your utility provider, landlord or property manager where applicable, and trusted repair professionals.

Know where your home’s main water shutoff is and make sure responsible members of the household know too. If a plumbing emergency occurs, that’s not the ideal moment to begin a scavenger hunt.

Consider the needs of children, older adults and pets as well. If your household relies on particular equipment or supplies, think about what would be useful during a temporary power outage or severe weather event.

Government emergency-preparedness guidance commonly recommends households be prepared to manage for at least 72 hours during an emergency. Your winter kit can form part of that broader preparation.

You may never need most of it.

That’s rather the point.

Homeowner or Renter, Winter Preparation Still Matters

Renting changes which jobs you’re responsible for, but it doesn’t eliminate the value of paying attention to your home.

A renter can notice a window that won’t close properly, a heating problem, water collecting where it shouldn’t, a damaged exterior light or a carbon monoxide alarm that isn’t functioning.

The important difference is what you do next.

Don’t attempt repairs involving the building, heating system, plumbing or electrical system unless they are genuinely your responsibility and you’re qualified to perform them. Document the problem and notify your landlord or property manager promptly.

Homeowners have greater responsibility for maintenance, but the same principle applies: knowing when a job has moved beyond DIY territory is part of maintaining a home properly.

There is no prize for personally repairing everything you own.

Before the Real Cold Arrives

Winterizing a home isn’t one enormous project. It’s a collection of relatively small decisions made before the weather makes those decisions more difficult.

Disconnect the hose. Clear the drainage. Find the draft. Check the furnace. Test the alarms. Walk around the property. Prepare the entrance. Pay attention to heat loss. Put away seasonal equipment. Make sure the household is ready for an interruption.

You don’t necessarily have to accomplish everything in one weekend.

Start with the items that could lead to damage or safety concerns, then work through the comfort and organization items as time permits. If you discover something that needs professional attention, dealing with it sooner also gives you a better chance of arranging service before the first major stretch of cold weather has everyone else reaching for the phone.

Edmonton winter will arrive when it’s ready.

Your home might as well be ready first.