Make sure your second home is protected while you’re not there

« « Renters Insurance Quotes: Get More Discounts With Competing Quotes | Looking at a homeowner insurance policy » »

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

So you finally got your place in the sun, it’s the ideal holiday retreat you always dreamed of and it gives you the chance to escape for a few glorious sunny weeks of each 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, 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 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 always do all you can to protect your second home against the dangers it could face over the winter. Security is key, and it’s important to make sure that no valuables are left in sight and that you always leave the house completely secured. 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 often occurs when holiday homes are empty over the winter is that water pipes may freeze or burst. The unexpected cold winter of last year left hundreds of holiday owners in trouble, finding their second homes damaged by water as they’d been left unprepared for the icy conditions. Many of these unfortunate homeowners also found that their insurance policies did not cover them. 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 that could make all the difference.

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 allowing the property to fall below freezing could cause serious damage to the pipes, which would cost a lot more. Make sure all pipes are thoroughly insulated – don’t forget there are probably a few in the loft space above any roof insulation you may have, which will stop heat reaching them from the rest of the house. Leave the water mains switched off to limit the amount of water that could leak out if a pipe did burst, and if you do discover a problem don’t try and deal witb it yourself, call an emergency plumber immediately!

Get Social, Bookmark Us!!:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.