Pre-monsoon checklist for villas, hotels and managed property

The five checks that prevent most monsoon damage are: clear every drain and downpipe, treat the terrace and parapet junctions, seal external wall cracks, check window and door seals, and confirm the electrical earthing and RCD are working. Everything else on this list matters, but those five account for most of what goes wrong.

Do these first

• Clear all drainage. Terrace outlets, gutters, downpipes, surface drains and the compound drain. Blocked outlets cause more damage than any other single failure.
• Treat the terrace. Crack fill and coat, with the coating turned up the parapet. See the timing article — this needs doing by mid-May.
• Seal external cracks. Anything wider than a hairline on a rain-facing wall. Fill, then coat.
• Check window and door seals. Gaskets, wool pile brush and drainage weep holes in aluminium and uPVC frames. Blocked weep holes push water inward.
• Test the electrics. Earthing, RCD or ELCB trip test, and the condition of any external fittings and junction boxes.

Then these

• Service the water pump and check the tank lid seals.
• Trim overhanging branches, particularly anything above a roof or near a power line.
• Check and re-fix loose roof sheets, ridge caps and flashing.
• Inspect the compound wall for leaning or cracking after the previous monsoon.
• Clean and treat any timber — doors, frames, pergolas — before the humidity rises.
• Check the generator, if there is one, and run it under load.
• Restock the maintenance cupboard: sealant, tarpaulin, torch, plastic sheeting, absorbent cloths.
• Service or check the fire extinguishers and replace any out of date.
• Photograph the property’s condition now, so any monsoon damage is demonstrably new.

For managed and rented property specifically

Do the walkthrough with the owner or their representative, produce a written condition record with dated photographs, and get agreement on what is being done and what is being deferred. The deferred list matters as much as the completed one — it is what protects you when something fails in August that was flagged in April and not approved.

Keep the same checklist year to year. Comparing this year’s notes with last year’s tells you which parts of the building are deteriorating rather than just failing randomly.

Stocking for the season

If you manage several properties, the sensible approach is a standing pre-monsoon order placed in February: waterproofing materials, sealants, crack filler, tarpaulins, and the cleaning and mould-treatment supplies you will need in July. Prices and availability are both better before the rush.