Blog Post

Keep Your Home Safe & Dry

Ian Holmes • Dec 20, 2018

A Useful Guide





Water leakages are one of the most common causes of Household insurance claims and can cause a huge inconvenience to home owners.

Water can travel long distances and go undetected for some time, meaning even a minor escape has the potential to cause major damage to a Building and Household contents. Common causes of leaks include the failure of household appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, frozen or burst pipes, leaking radiators, together with blocked guttering and down pipes.

For information on how you can prevent water leakages, please find attached our Escape of Water guide .

Water Leaks are especially common throughout the winter months but by taking the following precautions your customers can minimise, or prevent, an escape of water and the subsequent damage to their premises.

1. General preparations
Routine building inspections should be carried out year-round to identify potential issues, and during Autumn special attention should be given to areas such as roof insulation, pipe lagging, boiler maintenance and the external fabrics of the building.

2. Boiler systems
Always leave boilers and other water heating systems running during winter months, even when a property is temporarily unoccupied. Maintaining an ambient temperature is essential for avoiding many issues - we recommend maintaining a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius throughout your properties.

3. Pipes and water tanks
Inspect the whole system for potential defects or vulnerabilities, paying particular attention to areas exposed to cold conditions such as pipes or tanks situated outside the property or in roof spaces.

4. Sprinkler systems
Ensure the heating is present in the sprinkler valve room and it is kept at an ambient temperature. Check when the sprinkler system was last serviced and, during winter months, switch the alternate systems to air.

5. Permanently unoccupied properties
If permanently unoccupied, we recommend disconnecting the property's water supplies and draining all pipes, tanks and heating systems. However, if only temporarily unoccupied, heating systems should always be left on to maintain an ambient temperature to help avoid freezing or cracking.

by Ian Holmes 01 May, 2023
And is it worth taking out?
by Ian Holmes 01 May, 2023
And how does it work?
03 Jan, 2023
Who needs an Energy Performance Certificate?
by Ian Holmes 04 Jun, 2021
4th JUNE 2021: TRAVEL TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM EXPLAINED
by Ian Holmes 15 Jan, 2021
Announcement - Delay of one month to the Whiplash Reforms
by Ian Holmes 13 Jan, 2021
How to look after your boiler in the current freezing weather and prevent problems
Replacement Vehicle Insurance
by Ian Holmes 10 Nov, 2019
If your car is stolen or your van is involved in an accident that means it is un-drivable, you may find it hard to carry out your daily tasks at home or at work. Although you may get a courtesy vehicle through your motor insurance policy while repairs are underway, this might not be suitable to carry out all of your usual activities. You may also find that a courtesy vehicle isn’t available at all if your vehicle has been stolen or if it is written off. Our replacement vehicle insurance provides a hire vehicle for you should your own be involved in an accident, theft or other incident that means it is undrivable. Cover is available for up to 4 weeks and for different types of vehicle, giving you peace of mind that your normal routine can continue despite the loss of your vehicle.
by Ian Holmes 19 Oct, 2019
Guaranteed Asset Protection insurance, commonly known as GAP insurance, is designed to work alongside your comprehensive motor policy. If your vehicle is involved in an incident which sees it written off, GAP insurance will cover the difference in value between the original purchase price and the depreciated value at the time of the incident. It’s a well known fact that vehicles depreciate in value the moment they are driven off the forecourt. If you are involved in an accident or if your vehicle is stolen you would need to make a claim on your main insurance policy. If the vehicle is written off, the insurer will pay the market value of the vehicle at the time of the incident. If it’s 4 years since you purchased the vehicle, this could mean receiving around 45-55% of the original purchase price. If you originally purchased the vehicle on a finance agreement you could end up in the tricky situation of owing more than the vehicle is worth. GAP insurance will cover the difference in value between the original purchase price and the depreciated value at the time of the incident. GAP insurance will cover the difference between the motor insurance settlement and either the invoice price of the vehicle or the early finance settlement figure, giving you peace of mind that should your vehicle be written off you won’t be left out of pocket. IS GAP INSURANCE SUITABLE FOR ME? We have different products to suit individual needs. COMBINED GAP This is suitable if you have purchased your vehicle within the last 365 days from a VAT registered Motor Trader and paid in full through cash, cheque, BACS transfer, loan, bankers draft or through a finance agreement. Options are available with cover periods of up to 4 years for cars, vans, and motor homes, up to a maximum value of £125k, and up to 3 years for taxis with a maximum value of £70k. CONTRACT HIRE GAP This is suitable if you are leasing a car or van with no option to purchase the vehicle. The vehicle must have been obtained within the last 365 days. Options are available with cover periods of up to 5 years for cars and vans up to a monthly rental value of £1,000. This product will cover the difference between the motor insurance settlement figure and the early finance settlement figure. Fot more detail. Take a look at our dedicated page regarding GAP cover.
by Ian Holmes 07 Sept, 2019
Keeping our keys to hand is vital to the smooth running of daily life. So what happens if they are lost, damaged or stolen? Have you considered the inconvenience and the costs involved if something should happen to your keys? Our KeyBack cover provides peace of mind that should you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, our dedicated team are there to provide 24-hour assistance. We have access to a network of engineers and will organise and cover the costs of locksmiths and replacement keys. We will even organise onward transport or car hire for up to 3 days if the loss of your key means you can’t use your vehicle. Who is covered? You & any immediate member of your family, including named drivers for motor key cover. If you purchase this for a company all current employees authorised to use the relevant vehicle or authority to hold property keys will be covered. Why people claim on Key Insurance: Lost keys account for most claims (71%), then followed by broken keys (25%). Then there is a small amount of stolen keys (4%). The beauty of key insurance is it's low cost and ability to take the stress out of a stressful situation. Why not visit our website at www.protectyourthings.co.uk to look at key insurance in more detail and our other products whilst you're there.
by Ian Holmes 05 Sept, 2019
Unless you've got a family of builders, plumbers, electricians and other handy people. How easy is it to get hold of a tradesperson on a Friday night when you're Electrics stop working or your Boiler breaks down? Our Home Emergency policy gives you cover for only £52 for 12 months and it means that 'One Call Does it all' Our claims line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, where they will take down details of your problem and get the right person out to sort out your problem. You will have no excess to pay, or any call out charges. Our policy is exceptional value for money. We believe we offer the cheapest policy in the UK and we are so confident that if you find a cheaper policy at any time during the life of the policy, then we'll refund the difference. So reduce the stress and take out a Home Emergency policy with Protectyourthings
Show More
Share by: