Coulter Hurst & Co - Insurance & Risk Management

Avoid water damage to your home this winter

Bad weather can be the cause of damage to your home. So, we have put together some practical tips to ensure you have a safe and loss free winter.

STORMS

To help minimise the risk of damage from storms you can

• Look for dislodges and broken slates or tiles and replace any that are broken
• Ensure gutters, aerials and satellite dishes are secure
• Take a walk around the garden, check for loose branches, fences and items of garden furniture that could cause damage in high winds. Store furniture that is not needed in winter securely in a garage or shed and prune or cut loose branches.
• If you live in an exposed spot, consider creating windbreaks by landscaping and planting.
• Lead flashing should fir snugly and be fixed into the wall with cement
• Rendered walls should be crack free
• Guttering should be fairly free from moss, leaves & grit. Blocked gutters are a common cause of household flooding.
• Fix any cracked or broken window panes before the weather turns too cold as putty can take a long time to harden in freezing weather. Cracked or broken panes are an invitation to burglars
• Keep steps and patios free from moss and algae as these areas can become slippery when wet.

FROZEN PIPES

Much of your plumbing is located is the outer walls of your home. Therefore, even if your heating thermostat is at a high temperature, pipes can still freeze and burst – causing major damage. Preventative steps you can take are:

• Properly insulate rooms that have exposed pipes such as garages and consider applying snap-on insulation to any such pipes.
• If your property is going to be unoccupied for any extended period of time (more than 2 days) drain and shut off pipes that flow out of the house and turn off any unused garden water features

MAINTAINING YOUR HEATING SYSTEM

• Consider putting your boiler through an MOT, particularly if you have inherited an old system with your house
• Keep plenty of space between space heaters and household objects
• Radiators that feel cool at the top probably have air trapped inside them. You will need to “bleed” them using a special key

IF YOU ARE AWAY OVER THE WINTER MONTHS

• Keep the heating switched on at a low temperature to prevent pipes from freezing or turn off the water supply and drain the taps completely to prevent a burst pipe
• Have someone check your house regularly to minimise damage should an incident occur in your absence.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING…………………………..ARE YOU COVERED?

Christmas will soon be here and thousands of homes will already be filled with presents. We may think we're stocking up on the festive spirit, but burglars view these purchases rather differently: as rich pickings.

Home Office statistics highlight the months of October to January as a period of increased burglary activity, so it is a good idea to take extra security precautions Not only can a little thought save a lot of heartbreak but it could also help reduce your insurance premiums. Ways of protecting your home include:

• Alarms: Your insurer may well require you to install a specific make. Make sure you know if you are covered when the alarm is switched off.
• Money: Don't keep more cash on the premises than is absolutely necessary and make sure what you have is in one safe, concealed place.
• Locks: Always use dead locks.
• Keys: Do not leave keys where they can be seen, but keep them out of sight in a draw.
• Lights: Leave some lights on if you are out for the evening.
• Electrical Items: Do not leave valuable items in view.
• Garden Theft: Do not leave valuable items lying around in the garden but locked away.
• Property marking: Mark all property of value. Many items that are stolen and recovered each year are never returned to the owner, as the police are unsure who the owner is!

Having your possessions stolen is not a pleasant experience but there is at least some comfort if you are adequately insured. What you really need to do is go round each room with a pad of paper and tot up the value of the contents in your home. Another reason people find themselves under-insured is that they don't alter their level of cover after making new purchases. If you add up the total value of what you have bought over the past year, you could quite easily find that it runs into thousands of pounds, particularly if you've bought a wide-screen television or computer, or have replaced your old fridge or washing machine.

You shouldn't worry unduly if you have adequate cover but think that the value of the Christmas presents you have bought will take you in excess of the sum insured. This is because many insurers automatically increase your level of cover over the Christmas period. The duration of this increased cover varies, so check your policy details. Remember, too, that not all insurers will give you extra cover as a Christmas present.

Once the festive season is over, you may want to make a new year's resolution to reassess your contents insurance, taking into account the presents you've been given and purchases you've made in the January sales. Then you can rest assured that you have sufficient cover.