As we head into the colder months, make sure your house is as cosy and safe as possible by preparing your home for Winter with these simple steps below...
1. Make the most of your heat
To keep your house warm and cosy in the colder months, when you’re preparing your home for Winter make sure you check around doors and windows to see if you have any draughts. If you do, you should install draught-proofing measures so you’re not letting hot air out and cold air in. And if you have a chimney, it’s a good idea to buy a chimney balloon. These are designed to inflate in your chimney when you’re not using it to help stop heat escaping. And make sure water pipes and water tanks in the loft are insulated with lagging. This will help to insulate your hot water system and protect from freezing too.
2. Get your boiler serviced when preparing your home for Winter
The last thing you’ll want to wake up to on a chilly winter’s morning is a cold house. So make sure you get your boiler serviced annually; this should reduce the chance of it breaking down. It may be that small problems are discovered during the service that are cheap to fix and will avoid bigger, and more costly, issues further down the line. And check if your radiators need bleeding too.
3. Undertake Winter home maintenance
When preparing your home for Winter, go outside and check the condition of your roof – call an expert in if necessary. Do you have any broken or missing tiles? Then get it’s essential to fix the problem before the wet and windy weather sets in for the Winter.
And when it comes to winter home maintenance, also check your garden. Is there anything that could get thrown around in high winds and cause damage, like garden furniture? Then make sure it’s secured or locked away in a shed or garage.
Also, leaves and moss can clog up your drains and gutters which could cause problems once the bad weather comes. So make sure they are all cleared out. Again, call an expert in if required.
4. Winter home safety tips
While you may be looking forward to cosy nights staying in this winter, the same is not true of burglars; burglary rates usually peak in the dark winter months. So when you’re getting ready for Winter, make sure your home is secure and consider fitting security devices like a burglar alarm or security lights outside your home to give you added protection.
5. Is your Winter home insured?
When you’re preparing your home for Winter, it’s very important to check your home insurance cover. And it’s also important to understand the different types of insurance:
- Buildings insurance: This covers damage to your property’s structure like the walls and roof and often fixtures and fittings too like a fitted kitchen.
- Contents insurance: Put simply, if you turned your home upside down, contents insurance covers everything that would fall out of it. Different policies will vary in the level of cover but you’ll usually be covered against theft, fire and flood.
- Accidental damage cover: This insures your possessions against accidental damage. But it’s usually an optional extra on home insurance policies so don’t assume you’re covered, always check. You can buy both buildings and contents insurance separately or together as a joint policy.
So when you’re thinking about risk factors this Winter, whether it’s from extreme weather or burglary, it’s essential to make sure you have enough cover in place. That way you’ll have peace of mind if the worst happens.
To find out more about buildings and contents insurance, speak to one of our dedicated protection advisers or call us on 01625 573124 to make an appointment or arrange a call back.