Home-care questionnaire
How well are you looking after your home when the weather changes?
With temperatures set to drop again this winter, we’d like to check how well you've protected your home against the elements and see if there's anything we can do to help.
With a little thought, there are some simple things you can do to make sure your home stays warm and secure throughout the changing weather. And we’ve got a number of useful guides to help you too.
1. Checking the outside of your property
Have you checked outside your house and around your garden to make sure you’re prepared for the wintry conditions?
Excellent. It’s important to check around your house and garden to make sure everything looks okay. If you don’t do this, the wintry weather could cause significant damage to things like guttering, and you might have to make a claim. For more hints and tips to keep you and your family protected, read our guide to preparing your home for winter.
It’s maybe not the first thing you’d think of, but it’s important to check around your house and garden to make sure everything looks okay. This’ll let you fix anything before it becomes a problem and you might need to make a claim. For example, leaves, twigs and moss may block your guttering, leading to significant damage to your pipes. For more hints and tips to keep you and your family protected, read our guide to preparing your home for winter.
It’s easy to forget, but it’s important to check around your house and garden to make sure everything looks okay. This’ll let you fix anything before it becomes a problem. For example, leaves, twigs and moss may block your guttering, leading to significant damage to your pipes and the need to make a claim. For more hints and tips to keep you and your family protected, read our guide to preparing your home for winter.
2. Securing everything outside your property
When there’s a storm on the way, do you secure everything in your garden that could blow around and cause damage to your home?
Sounds like you’re prepared. It’s important to make sure your garden contents are secured and can’t cause damage to either your property or those around it. And please note, fences are not covered under your home insurance, so it’s best to make sure they’re secure and in a good state of repair. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your home protected, read our flood and storm advice.
You don’t want to be dealing with problems in the middle of a storm, so it’s best to be prepared. It’s important to make sure your garden contents are secured and can’t cause damage to either your property or those around it. And please note, fences are not covered under your home insurance, so you should make sure they’re secure and in a good state of repair. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your home protected, read our flood and storm advice.
To avoid having to deal with problems in the middle of a storm, it’s best to be prepared. It’s important to make sure your garden contents are secured and can’t cause damage to either your property or those around it. And please note, fences are not covered under your home insurance, so you should make sure they’re secure and in a good state of repair. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your home protected, read our flood and storm advice.
3. Turning off outside taps
When the colder weather sets in, it’s a good idea to shut off the water supply to any outside taps. Would you normally do this?
Sounds like you’re prepared. That’ll protect your home from potential risk. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your family protected, read our freezing weather advice.
We see a big increase in the number of burst pipes during periods of freezing weather, so it’s best to be prepared. When water freezes in pipes, it expands, which causes damage to plumbing and can lead to huge problems – and costly repairs. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your family protected, read our freezing weather advice.
We see a big increase in the number of burst pipes during periods of freezing weather, so it’s best to be prepared. When water freezes in pipes, it expands, which causes damage to plumbing and can lead to huge problems – and costly repairs. For more hints and tips on how to keep you and your family protected, read our freezing weather advice.
4. Checking your appliances
Would you usually check your electrical appliances and devices and make sure they’re turned off at night?
Perfect. You’re not only reducing your energy costs and helping the environment, but you’re also reducing the risk of fires started by appliances that have been left unattended. For more information, read our guide to fire safety in the home.
A house fire is the last thing you want to think about, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. When it comes to home fire safety, prevention is obviously better, and, while home insurance is important for recovering the cost of your belongings if they’re damaged, lost or stolen, no one wants to be forced out of their home for any period of time – or lose their house entirely. For more information, read our guide to fire safety in the home.
A house fire is the last thing you want to think about, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. When it comes to home fire safety, prevention is obviously better, and, while home insurance is important for recovering the cost of your belongings if they’re damaged, lost or stolen, no one wants to be forced out of their home for any period of time – or lose their house entirely. For more information, read our guide to fire safety in the home.
5. Maintaining your boiler and central heating system
Has your boiler been serviced recently? Do your radiators need bled? Has your boiler pressure been topped up to help keep your home heated this winter?
Great. Sounds like you’re on top of things and making sure you and your family aren’t left in the cold. For more hints and tips for maintaining your home heating system, read our guide to boiler maintenance.
When colder weather arrives, the last thing you need is your boiler going on the blink. Take care to make sure your heating system is in tip-top condition and your home insurance is up to date. For more hints and tips for maintaining your home heating system, read our guide to boiler maintenance.
Like so many things, making sure your heating system is properly maintained can often take a back seat when you lead a busy life, but the last thing you need is your boiler going on the blink. Take care to make sure your heating system is in tip-top condition and your home insurance is up to date. For more hints and tips for maintaining your home heating system, read our guide to boiler maintenance.