Winter-ready: getting an Algarve home through the rainy months

Last winter Portugal went through a run of storms. Kristin, Leonardo and Marta left 13 people dead and the country under a state of calamity until 15 February (UN News, 6 Feb 2026). The Algarve got off lighter than the centre and the west: Marta crossed the region with fewer incidents than forecast (Postal).

Lighter is not nothing. Houses here are built for heat, not for weeks of rain: tiled floors, little insulation, roofs that nobody has looked at since summer. October and November are the weeks to fix that, while tradespeople still have time in their diaries.

This is a checklist, in the order a surveyor would walk round a house.

1. Roof and gutters

• Walk round the house and look up. Slipped or cracked tiles, moss on the north side, gutters full of leaves and pine needles.
• Clear gutters and downpipes, and check that water leaves the house and does not run back against the wall.
• Flat roofs and terraces: check the drain outlets and the seal along the edges.
• If something needs fixing, book it now. After the first storm warning everyone calls at once.

Roofing and building contractors with a LivingLink page: Mestre Construtivo (roofing, Loulé), Algarve Builders (Loulé), Algarve Bau (Carvoeiro), Aljaloca (Carvoeiro), Character Construction, Iberia Constructions and TJ Projects (all Almancil).

2. Windows, doors and shutters

• Check the seals and the drainage channels in window frames; blocked channels push water inside.
• Roller shutters that stick in summer jam in a storm. Test each one.

With a LivingLink page: Casa das Janelas, Mestre Raposa International and Visão Virtual (all Loulé).

3. Damp and mould

The most common winter complaint in Algarve homes is not the cold, it is the damp: cool tiled rooms, closed shutters, washing dried indoors.

• Air every room briefly every day, even when it rains.
• Keep furniture a hand's width away from outside walls.
• A dehumidifier in the worst room usually does more than a heater.
• Black spots in corners and behind wardrobes come back unless the cause (cold wall, leak, no air) is fixed.

4. Heating, fireplaces and stoves

• Have the chimney swept before the first fire of the season.
• A wood burner or gas heater needs air. Never block vents, and put a carbon monoxide alarm in the room.
• Air conditioning units that heat: clean the filters before you switch to heating.

With a LivingLink page: Fires of Portugal (fireplaces and stoves, Salir), Vinagre & Oliveira (fireplaces, Portimão), Novambiente (solar and heating, São Bartolomeu de Messines), Algarve Seasons and SACL (air conditioning).

5. Pool

• Decide now: keep it running on a winter programme, or winterise it properly. A pool left half-maintained is the expensive option in spring.
• After heavy rain, check the water level and the pH; storm water dilutes everything.

With a LivingLink page: PoolShop Algarve (Faro), Oasis Engenharia e Construção (Faro), NOV Piscinas (Olhão), Iberia Blue (Lagos), DreamPools and Hello Sunshine (solar pool heating).

6. Garden and land

• Cut back branches over the roof and over power lines you are responsible for.
• Clear drains and ditches on your land so that run-off has somewhere to go.
• Secure garden furniture, parasols and anything else wind can lift.

With a LivingLink page: Jardimgarve (garden services).

7. If you are away for the winter

An empty house gets damp faster and nobody sees the leak. Arrange for someone to open it, air it and check after every storm warning.

With a LivingLink page: Atlantic Coast Properties (Vilamoura), Boaz Rentals (Carvoeiro), Diamond Properties Algarve (Loulé), Enquinta (Quinta do Lago), Lagos Long Lets, and for cleaning Fine Cleaning (Faro) and Villacare (Portimão).

8. When a warning comes

• Weather warnings for the Faro district are published by IPMA: ipma.pt. Yellow, orange, red.
• Keep a torch, a charged power bank and drinking water for a day.

Numbers to save now, from the LivingLink emergency page:

Checked on 13 October 2026. No business named here paid to appear in this article or was asked to; they are listed because they have a page in the LivingLink directory under the trade that fits. Is your business missing? List it here.