Posts Tagged ‘Changing Insurance’

Our collective attitudes to insurance are changing.

Insurance used to be exactly that, insurance to cover problems. However, the worldwide insurance industry nowadays often makes a mockery of seeking to provide adequate cover when problems start. Delays, “average” clauses, small-print exclusions are just some of the hidden problems for the unwary. In the car insurance market young people simply cannot get sensible insurance any more.

These problems have resulted in massive instances of non-insurance which in both dangerous and sad. Social responsibility seems to have gone missing in the Insurance industry and we make this worse as record numbers of recession-hit householders are making fraudulent claims. Figures show that annually more than 100,000 fraudulent claims are being made and this annual increase, of 17%, is accelerating.

Fraud thrives in a recession but cheating on your insurance really does not pay (if you are caught). The only thing you are likely to gain is a criminal record. Dishonest home insurance claims were the most common types of fraud, the figures show, with 55,000 detected in 2008; the figures for 2009 will be higher.

Winter Fires ……..

The Fire Brigade said that fires are much more likely to occur when the temperature drops. The most common reasons why individuals cause a fire are due to heating appliances (14%) and cooking equipment (12%) going wrong or being left on.

More than one-third of fatal house fires are caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials. Nationwide figures suggest there were 3,061 accidental house fires, 99 deaths and over 1,000 injuries linked to smoking.

Summary – carelessness causes fires.

Prevention is better than ……

Homeowner claims are at ridiculously high levels at present (as much as 1-in-6 households in some areas). Owners have forgotten they can take simple steps to help prevent pipes bursting in freezing weather. Prevention is certainly better than cure when it comes to an emergency in the home so people need to clear out guttering, lag pipes and wrap up any outside taps.

Burst pipes can result in an emergency plumber having to be called out – which could be costly and may not always be covered by house insurance.  Also don’t forget that if a property is left for more than 30 days then burst pipes may not be covered.

Burst Pipes and Water Damage:

The damage from burst pipes can be horrendous, especially if the burst happens when your house is unoccupied and the burst goes unnoticed for weeks. Collapsed ceilings, saturated furniture and electrical appliances can be the resulting damage.

• One of the main causes of frozen pipes is switching the central heating off completely when a house is empty. Leaving the heating on a low temperature (7-15°C) can minimise potential danger. Boilers and heating systems should also have annual check-up, to ensure they are safe and in good working order.

• Ensure pipes are well lagged, wrap exposed outside pipes with insulating sleeves and make sure that water tanks get insulation too. Intermittent opening of your roof loft trap door to allow warm air from the house to circulate around the loft and pipes can also be wise.

• Letting a protected interior tap drip during freezing weather conditions can prevent a pipe from bursting by providing pressure relief.

• Simply turning off the water is not sufficient for a property that is to be left unoccupied for a long period – there is still a lot of water in the system, which can cause damage. Get a plumber to drain down the water and central heating system to remove the risk completely.

• Washing machines, taps, showers, baths, dishwashers etc. should be checked from time to time for leaks, because even a few drops of water could cause rotting and dampness.

• Know where gas and electricity supplies can be turned off and where your stopcock is, as speedily shutting off the water in an emergency could prevent a great deal of damage.

• Clearing snow from behind parapet wall upstands and roof valleys is also well worth the effort. Deep snow thaws and the water released travels upwards by capillary attraction between tiles and breaches the valley liner, if one is present. This results in water running down the valley underside and into your home.

• In the Autumn period it always pays to clear rainwater fittings of leaves and pine needles. Forget to do this and one result will be that the weight of snow build up and icicles will deform gutters and before long water will get into your home.

Summary – preventative medicine coupled with common-sense is wise: ignore this at your own peril as some Insurance Companies will soon be saying that you have contributed to your problems and invoke Policy “average clauses” that dilute any claim payout. Insurance than turns out to be only partial insurance, again!

Overseas Home Owners – this also applies to you. Did you know that PROinspect can also take surveying briefs for European Home Purchases (albeit that such services are expensive).