Protect your holiday home through the winter
So you finally got your place in the sun, the holiday home you have always wanted and it gives you the chance to escape for a few glorious sunny weeks of each year. It’s a wonderful idea, and a great way to spend the summer, relaxing in your second home and enjoying sunnier climes on your own terms without having to worry about bills, other guests and the other stresses of staying at a hotel.
But problems can arise when you view your home purely as a holiday retreat, and not pay too much mind to how it will fare through the winter months when it will most likely be standing empty and exposed to cold weather. A lot of second home owners fall into the trap of believing that their overseas property insurance will cover them for any problems that may arise throughout the whole year, but in fact many policies contain conditions that can leave the claim invalid if the property is damaged whilst unoccupied.
The most common trap that people fall into with second home insurance is not realising that their policy requires them to fulfil certain obligations for the claim to be valid. Often hidden away in the small print, common examples of these requirements are switching off and draining the water system every time you leave, visiting the property at least once every 30 days, or even performing weekly checks.
Your second home could be left without cover if something happened and these conditions are not met, so the most important thing is to check your insurance policy to make sure there are no hidden catches in the small print. If you need to, upgrade your policy – some second home insurance companies like Schofields offer insurance for holiday homes that remains valid throughout the year without these requirements.Â
Of course prevention is better than cure, and you should always do all you can to protect your holiday home against potential damage over the winter months. Security is obviously very important, and you should make sure that no valuables are left in sight and that the house is secure. It’s a good idea to have a local neighbour or agent check on your holiday home regularly just to be sure nothing has gone wrong, and to catch it early if it has.
Another common problem that can arise in unattended holiday homes is frozen or burst pipes during the winter. Last year hundreds of holiday owners were caught out by the unexpected cold weather, finding their second homes damaged by water as a result of being unprepared. Many of these unfortunate homeowners also found that they weren’t covered on their insurance. There is no way to guarantee your holiday home will be safe from disasters like these but there are a few simple steps you can take which could save you a lot of bother in the future.
Firstly, turning off the heating through the winter is a bad idea – yes it means you won’t have to worry about heating bills, but in temperatures below freezing the pipes could suffer serious damage, which would cost a lot more. Make sure all pipes are thoroughly insulated – including any in the loft space above the roof insulation where heat from the house cannot rise to. Turn off the water mains to limit the amount of leakage if a pipe does burst, and if you do discover a problem don’t try and deal witb it yourself, call an emergency plumber immediately!
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