Protecting Your House

By Author: Deshawn Chillo
Total Articles: 8
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The weather is our favourite topic of conversation, but this winter it is actually getting plenty of column inches. 16,000 home insurance claims relating to water damage were logged in the UK this winter according to Sainsbury''s Finance.

This winter has been one of the coldest in recent decades and between 15 December and 21 January claims for bust pipes were approximately ?2,200 on average. This amounted to a total of ?35 million across the country.

This was largely because most people didn''t think that burst pipes were a significant threat in the UK. Cold in Britain usually equates to between 1-5 degrees centigrade, this year temperatures have consistently dropped below freezing and if pipes aren''t used for a few days such as when homeowners are on holiday overseas the pipes can freeze quite quickly.

A recent survey carried out by AXA insurance discovered that only 8% of homeowners believe a burst pipe might actually cause problems whilst they are away on holiday during the winter. In addition to this, only a third leave the heating on low to prevent this happening.

If you want to protect your ...
... homes against flood damage from burst pipes here are a few things you can do. Firstly, make sure you test all the taps to check the water is flowing freely. Consult a plumber right away if the flow is irregular or the pipes are rusting. Next, at night and if you are going on holiday remember to keep the heating on low.

Remember there will be parts of the house that will be colder than others if they are not used as much. This is particularly true of attics and loft spaces. Open the hatch regularly to allow heat from the rest of the house to circulate.

It should be every homeowners responsibility to know where their water stopcock is. If you need to turn the water off in an emergency you don''t want to have to hunt around for it. What''s more, if you go on holiday inform your neighbours as to its location too.

However, home insurance is by far the most important thing to do. A flood doesn''t only damage the building it can destroy the contents beyond repaid too. You can save money if you buy combined buildings and contents insurance together as one home insurance package. Deshawn Chillo is a keen writer about car insurance and home insurance products.