Home and Contents Insurance. Keep your home in shape for insurance’s sake

Your claim on home and contents insurance could be rejected if your
insurer thinks it’s a maintenance issue – this article tells you what to
do to keep your home in shape.

If you’re a homeowner, then you should know all about maintaining your
home to a good standard to avoid future problems. But not all of us
realise that it could actually affect your ability to make a successful
claim on your home and contents insurance if the cause is found to be
related to poor upkeep. If a claim is made and the insurer decides that
the problem could have been avoided had the maintenance been up to
scratch, then they may downsize your payout, or even refuse to pay
anything at all.

We’ve put together a list of 10 top tips to help you keep your home at a
good standard. They’re easy to follow and you only have to do it once a
year. We recommend springtime as the best because the winter weather
causes most damage to properties with the constant wind, cold, rain and
sleet/snow. Once the weather starts to get better, probably around
Easter time, set aside a few hours to give your home its annual MoT. It
could save you a lot of money if a problem has just occurred, and save
you even more if insurance becomes an issue.

These ten tips will hold you in good stead:

1. Inspect your gutters for blockages from leaves and other debris. In
the autumn and winter your gutters are in constant use and it doesn’t
take long for them to fill up. If this does happen then water could
start to penetrate the walls, resulting in costly decorating and other
damp proof measures. Rather than do it yourself, as it can be quite
dangerous, ask your window cleaner if he’ll check them out.

2. Walk around the house and, using binoculars if you have them, see if
you can see any loose, cracked, or slipped tiles. If water starts to get
into the roof space then it’s only a matter of time before damp or rot
sets in, and don’t forget you’ll need to redecorate too. There’s also
the possibility that a loose tile could fall from the roof and cause an
injury to you or a passer-by – definitely something to be avoided!
3. Exterior paintwork shows the strain of the weather quite quickly, and
you need to keep an eye on it to ensure the elements aren’t finding a
way into the woodwork. In summer, the heat causes woodwork to expand
which makes the paint crack, in winter, the woodwork contracts again
leaving gaping cracks open to the wind and rain. So if you see cracking,
peeling or blistering then cover the areas up with a lick of paint.

4. If you have an open fire and use it regularly then you need to have
the chimney swept out every year. Soot can build up and if it gets too
severe, it could catch fire. In summer, soot absorbs damp, which won’t
do the brickwork in your chimney any good.

5. Inspect the damp course to check it’s still intact, and make sure you
haven’t got garden rubbish leaning against it. Grass clippings etc do
not do your damp course any good, and over time it could fail, leaving
your property open to damp and rot.

6. Some trees are particularly liable to spread their strong roots far
and wide, so think about that before you buy a shrub or tree and place
it near your property. Getting roots out of your foundations or drainage
system is an extremely costly exercise. Willows and Poplars are the
worst and with Poplars, the problem is so bad that if a new home is
built within 150 feet of a tree, then they have to reinforce the
foundations.

7. Falling trees are another concern. If you suffer damage from a fallen
tree and it wasn’t on your land then there’s no problem with a claim.
But if the tree was on your land and is damaged, dying or rotten, then
it will be your responsibility as it will be considered to be a
maintenance issue. It’s your duty to keep trees on your land in good
health, or have them chopped down. If you have very big trees then it
will be necessary to have a tree surgeon carry out annual checks to
verify that your trees are in good health, and are not likely to fall
except in the most extreme conditions.

8. Plants that climb up the side of your house may look nice but they
cause a lot of damage, so it’s not a good idea. Ivy is the worse
offender, it burrows into the brickwork and render, opening up spaces to
the elements. It’s imperative that you don’t let it climb onto your roof
as it can cause extreme damage up there.

9. Get a gas check every year, after the hard and constant use of the
winter, spring is the best time. A corgi-registered engineer should
check your boiler, your gas appliances and radiators, and carbon
monoxide levels.

10. Last on the list is the loft check. Squirrels like to nest up there
if they get the chance, as do birds and wasps. Squirrels cause
particular damage as they like the insulation around wiring, which could
eventually cause a fire. Remove any nests that you find and block up the
holes so the little invaders have to go elsewhere next time.

Follow these tips and your home will be equipped to deal with almost any
eventuality. It also means that if you do need to make a claim, you
won’t have to worry about being found negligent in terms of maintenance.

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