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You
need insurance cover for whatever the weather.
Adequate
Buildings insurance Keep your
home / investment protected
Whatever
the time of year your property can be exposed to "weather"
conditions. Most people immediately think of the winter when
a property can freeze up, however remember storms and flooding
can occur throughout the year. Listed below are some helpful
tips on how to protect your property against bad weather conditions.
All
Year - Safeguard against flooding:
Gutters:
If your gutters are not clean
and full of leaves and water can't drain away in the downpipes-
clean them out and do this annually so that water does not
penetrate under the eaves and rot timber.
Drains:
Are your drains working properly.
If they are not and there is heavy rainfall you can avoid
flash flooding if they clear. Check them annually.
If
you live in area that could have flooding make sure you are
prepared with: Sandbags to block doors. Torches and
spare batteries - Keep a radio that can be used
on battery power so you can listen to information broadcasts.
Keep your mobile phone is charged up. If you have to
vacate your home - lock valuables away (upstairs).
Move any essentials upstairs. Switch off electrical power
supply to avoid electric shocks. Make sure you have some
can of food and a small butane gas cooker. Ensure that
you have plenty of candles.
All
Year - Safeguard
against storms
Roofs
- Slates/tiles:
Make sure that roofs and checked
regularly. You can often spot a slipped tile or slate from
looking at the property from outside and worn gulleys will
not hold a lot of water. If there has just been a heavy storm
this is when the damage can occur.
Trees:
A decayed or partly decayed tree that is rotting can be
hazardous (although in a violent storm any tree whatever its
condition is vulnerable) so check that branches are trimmed
and checked for rot and do not pose a danger to properties
or overhead electrical lines.
Storm
Warning: Are you prepared? Make sure you - Secure all
doors, gates and windows.
If
that garden fence that was not too secure has not been repaired
- repair it.
Put
away unsecured items in the garden.
Keep
pets indoors.
Check
that torches and batteries are working and that your mobile
telephone is charged up.
When
using candles - oil lamps / gas lights take great care.
Winter
- Safeguard
against the cold
Some
years the colder weather comes earlier, some years later and
some years can be much colder than others. Regardless you
should ensure that your property is properly prepared.
Taps:
Do they drip - If you need washers changed get these done.
Apart from water now becoming a precious commodity, many properties
are on meter so you pay for all the wastage. These drips can
freeze when the weather turns bad.
Pipes:
Are the water pipes in your attic (and any other "exposed"
areas properly lagged? If not get these attended to.If you
have water tanks in the attic these must be well insulated.
Roofspace
/Attics: Is this insulated. Apart from wasting a lot of
money on energy "escaping through the roof and not effectively
heating the house" insulation will help prevent the house
from freezing. Make sure that you have an electric light in
the attic for ease of checking pipes and tanks.
Mains
water stop cock valve /tap: Make sure you know where this
is located and any sub stop cocks.These are often located
in the hall or kitchen (under the sink). If you have an outside
tap they often have a sub stop cock tap inside and it is worthwhile
to turn this off during the winter when the outside supply
is not being used. Ensure that the stop cock valves work
properly.If they do not get them repaired.
Heating:
If it is really cold set the heating to come on for a
while during the night or even keep it on low during the night.
When the property is unoccupied leave this on at regular intervals.It
might seem a waste of money, but it is a lot better than coming
home to a frozen house!
If
you are going away, alternatively you can turn everything
off. Do not think that by turning off the main stop cock will
help. In many properties there are radiators (filled with
water that can freeze), pipes leading to them and of course
hot and cold water tanks. These all need to be emptied and
"drained down" and this can be quite a lengthly
job that requires a plumber. If you do this yourself make
sure that all electric tank are switched off and central heating
boilers.
N.B.
This information should not be relied on for accuracy and
is presented here without the responsibility of jml Property
Service and the website it is being displayed at. ©jml property
Services 12-05
See
also
Is
your home fully protected for winter? Article by Philip Suter
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See
also
Landlord
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