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It’s safe to say that one of the most expensive things most of us will ever buy is a home, closely followed by the huge amount of items within it. Due to this, it is understandable that many of us place a high priority on getting a good quality home insurance that will be the safety net on our possessions should the worst happen.
If you’re looking to improve your insurance policy you can count on moneysupermarket.com to get you the best bargain available. We can compare almost every available policy in the UK quickly and easily taking the effort out of getting a great deal. However, as well as protecting your home with insurance, you can take action to ensure that should there be a disaster your home with insure as little damage as possible.
How to avoid cracked or burst pipes:
When it comes to damage, few things other than fire can cause as catastrophic an effect as water. If the pipes in the loft or upper floors burst, water will bulge and break through to the floors below causing terrible damage as it does so.
Something all home owners should familiarise themselves with is the mains water shut-off valve - it can usually be found on the ground floor of the house, in the kitchen under the sink or bathroom. This tap can be invaluable both financially and physically - especially if discover a leak before it has developed into a huge flood. These can deteriorate over time, so ensure that yours IS serviceable, and WILL turn off the water (check it every couple of months). The last thing you want in an emergency, is to find that it is seized, and will not turn off. If it HAS deteriorated, have it replaced by a professional tradesman, or invest in a quick shut-off WATER STOP device, or even an electronic one with a water leak sensor (e.g. Magneflo).
Be sure to check what pipes are in the loft area of your home. If they are bare, consider some thick pipe insulation tubing. The loft can get incredibly cold in the winter and un-insulated pipes can freeze and crack quickly – Pipe insulation is an inexpensive way to drastically lower your risks of burst pipes. The best type are the thicker walled ones that are labelled, or marked as covering the Water Regulations (Meets category 35 of water by-law 49). Don’t put loft insulation UNDER your loft tanks though,as this will prevent the small amount of heat from helping the tanks stay clear of freezing temperatures. Both tanks should have a lagging jacket.
How to avoid wind damage:
Slowly but surely, wind can cause damage to your home. After the winter months have punished your home with rain, ice and snow it’s common for the wooden frames of windows and doors to be cracked and weakened - If PVC frames are not an option for you, invest in some water-proof caulking to fill in the gaps. Not only will this stop the damage from increasing it will improve the heat preservation inside the home.
Be sure to check the tiling on your house at the end of the winter time. Constant heat changes and strong winds can easily damage or dislodge roof tiles and can lead to leaks and wood rot. Keeping on top of these small areas of damage is much cheaper than a large scale repair, and can also save you money when it comes to house insurance. Moneysupermarket says: “Also bear in mind that it can sometimes make more sense to pay for relatively inexpensive repairs yourself than make claims on your insurance. This will allow you to build up your no claims bonus.”
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