You either love it or you hate, but 1 thing’s for sure… You can’t ignore it. That’s right, we’re talking about winter. The colder months bring delicious soups, roaring fires, and multiple snuggling opportunities. On the flip side, it also brings icy toes, higher electricity usage, and increased risks of damage to your home.
We’re here to help you stay safe and avoid the most common home insurance risks that cause people to claim during the winter season, because we want you to enjoy the benefits of this time of year and not have to struggle with wintery incidents around your home. You should get roof access ladders to easily get to your Christmas lights, safely as well. So in the above line there is a link that you can access, which will direct you to an amazing site which will give you a plethora of products that will provide you with the best service when it comes to roof tending and what not so that you avoid incidents where one would slip and fall, etc.
First: What does home insurance cover
The name can be confusing, so let’s lay it out for you. Home insurance generally refers to 2 types of insurance. The first is home contents insurance (also called household insurance), which covers everything that you put into your castle, like your finery, fridge and furniture. The second is buildings (or homeowners) insurance, which covers things that form part of the structure of your castle, like the pipes, geysers, fixed glass (windows), phone connections and walls. A great section on their site explains it in more detail.
You might find that things happen to your home contents more frequently than to the structure of your house, but usually damage to your actual buildings tends to be much more expensive. Considering this, it’s pretty important to take out both types of cover for your whole home so that you’re not left paying out of your own pocket should anything go wrong.
Also, if your home is bonded, the financing institution or bank will require you to have buildings insurance. But you’re not obliged to accept the quote they give you and have every right to shop around for cover that suits your budget better.
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Second: How does winter affect your home
Several different danger zones lurk around residential roofing and inside your home that are vulnerable to the effects of winter, including your heating devices, pipes, fireplaces, and areas of general maintenance.
Winter damage to your home heating devices
Electric blankets, heat fans, and gas and oil heaters, are common winter hazards. Not only could an incident cause heat damage to walls, furniture, and items placed too close to the devices… But there’s also the possibility of a malfunction causing a fire that could destroy your home and even cause loss of life.
To prevent these kinds of incidents, make sure these devices are well-maintained, aren’t left unattended, and aren’t placed close to flammable curtains and furniture.
In particular, you should switch off gas appliances altogether when they’re not being used. Gas appliances are actually a whole danger zone on their own and need to be stored according to legal requirements. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, you need a certificate of conformity if you use gas for hot water systems, stoves, and ovens. This certificate is important when it comes to insurance claims for some insurance companies, so make sure to check this out with your insurer.
Winter damage to your pipes
Winter = cold = freezing = causing your pipes to burst as the freezing water expands = flooding = expensive damage and a high water bill. That’s a pretty simple way of summing up a potentially disastrous scenario.
Buildings insurance will cover the burst pipes and the costs of repairing flood damage to your property (like flooring and electrical points) and then home contents insurance takes over to cover damage to the stuff in your home, like your appliances.
To prevent this issue from happening, consider installing lagging* over the pipes to keep your pipes warmer and stop the water from freezing over.
*Lagging is material that provides heat insulation for your pipes and geyser.
Winter damage by fire
While there’s nothing quite so cosy as a roaring winter fire, it’s also extremely dangerous and can cause serious damage and loss of life. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, you absolutely must follow the fire rules in your home.
Fireplace house rules:
- Invest in a proper grate to keep sparks from flying out and setting carpets and furniture alight.
- Put the fire out properly before going to bed or leaving the house.
- Clean your chimney and don’t let it become blocked up or you could run the risk of a fire starting on the inside, which can damage your roof and structure. If something really goes wrong it is important to have a contact of roofing service that can fix everything very quickly. C&D Brooklyn Roofers – Excellent Roofing Replacement will fix all damages in no time.
Winter damage to the general home maintenance zones
The maintenance of your home strongly impacts your home insurance, because if the damage is caused by neglect, then your claim might not be paid out. Winter is prime time to avoid tending to your property and doing things like pruning trees and unblocking your gutters. However, if you allow debris to block up and break your gutters, then it’s possible that your insurer won’t pay to fix them.
Home maintenance goes a long way, so consider getting in a contractor to inspect your home for weak spots that could be particularly vulnerable to wintery damage. And now that we’ve used it as an example… Make sure your gutters are clean and properly maintained, learn how at GUTTERGUARDSGETTYSBURG.COM.
Third: It doesn’t have to be expensive
Now that winter is properly here, you’ll need to do what you can to limit your winter risks. The first thing to do is check if you have the right home insurance and see whether you should add home contents to your buildings insurance policy. Next, you need to check if you’re complying with your policy, like maintaining your home, storing your gas bottles correctly, and regularly cleaning out your chimney.
We take great pride in offering super cheap home contents and buildings insurance policies which are comprehensive so that everything in your castle is covered, from the windows to the walls and everything in between. You’ll even get access to our royal assistance services to help you out of tricky spot on the road or in your home!
Get a quick quote by clicking here, call our royal client care team on 0860 50 50 50, or pop the king an email at [email protected]
