Why holiday home insurance is important
Post date: May 28th, 2009 |
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So at long last you have managed to find your perfect place in the sun, it’s the ideal holiday retreat you always dreamed of and the chance to get away from it all for a few weeks of the year. It’s an attractive idea, and the perfect way to pass the summer months, 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, without thinking about how it will surive the winter 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 it’s important to thoroughly check your 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.
Of course prevention is better than cure, and you should do everything in your power to protect your holiday home against potential damage over the winter months. Security is obviously very important, and you should make sure that any valuable items are locked away out of sight and that the house is secure. It’s a good idea to have a local neighbour or agent look in on the property from time to time just to be sure nothing has gone wrong, and to catch it early if it has.
Another common problem that can arise when holiday homes are empty over the winter is that water pipes may freeze or burst. Last year hundreds of holiday owners were caught out by the unexpected cold weather, discovering that their homes had suffered water damage as they’d been left unprepared for the icy conditions. Many of these unfortunate homeowners also found that they weren’t covered on their insurance. Prevention from disasters like this cannot be guaranteed but there are a few simple steps you can take which could save you a lot of bother in the future.
Firstly, don’t turn the heating off over the winter – it may save on heating bills, but allowing the property to fall below freezing could cause serious damage to the pipes, which would cost a lot more. All pipes in the house should be thoroughly insulated – including any in the loft space above any roof insulation you may have, which will stop heat reaching them from the rest of the house. Turn off the water mains to limit the amount of leakage if a pipe does burst, and most importantly if you do discover a frozen or burst pipe, call an emergency plumber immediately!