Property damage insurance can help homeowners feel safer in their properties, ensuring they are provided for in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, however, coverage by property damage insurance policies can significantly vary, making home insurance claims complicated. In this article, you can discover everything you need to know about home insurance, from whether water pipe leaks are covered to.
Understanding Home Insurance
While not a legal requirement, home insurance is a valuable tool for many homeowners. Without insurance, repairing serious damage to a property can be a costly task which many households can not afford. Home insurance is an added level of security for a home, so should anything go wrong the policyholder can have the problem resolved as quickly as possible.
About Home Insurance
Home insurance largely comes in two forms, known as buildings insurance and contents insurance. Each policy type aims to protect different parts of a property, allowing homeowners to choose to protect the areas of particular concern.
Building Insurance
Building insurance is a type of home insurance that protects the property itself. It centres on protecting the property’s structure from damage. This means that it will likely cover elements of the property such as the windows, roof and walls.
Contents Insurance
Contents insurance will cover what is inside the property, rather than the property itself. These policies typically refer to the non-permanent items in your home, such as the things that will be brought with you should you move home. Key items protected by a contents insurance policy could include your television, fridge and sofas.
Some policies of home insurance can cover both the building and the contents within, providing all-round protection of a property. As policies are so varied, you should be able to find a policy that works for you.
What Home Insurance Covers
Home insurance policies are likely to vary in what they cover, depending on the provider. Knowing what your policy includes before making home insurance claims can often protect you from disappointment and paying out of pocket for costly repairs.
Typically, a home insurance policy will include:
- Flooding
- Fires
- Theft
- Loss
The above list does not definitively indicate what is covered in all home insurance policies. Some policies will allow you to add extra coverage, such as cover on personal belongings or cover for accidental damage. If you’re choosing an insurance policy for your home, it’s essential to make sure your areas of concern will be protected.
Does home insurance cover water pipe leaks?
Damaged or burst pipes can often lead to a surprising amount of damage, making it invaluable to have help in these scenarios. Most home insurance policies will cover burst water pipes, but this will largely depend on if you are at fault. Many insurers will likely only make a payment if the damage wasn’t caused by you or caused by negligence. If you have accidental damage cover, however, you may still be able to receive a payment.
Common Types of Water Damage
Water damage can be serious and problematic for any property, whether commercial or residential. Properties can become damaged in various ways by water, from creating structural issues to encouraging mould growth. Read on to discover common types of property water damage.
Leaking Pipes
Pipes can start to leak as a result of corrosion or damage, allowing water to escape into walls, ceilings and floors. Often, leaking pipes can go unnoticed, hidden behind walls and allowed to create large amounts of damage. These leaks can cause stains, mould growth, structural weakening and even flooding.
Fixture Leaks
Throughout the home, we install and use several different fixtures which allow us to easily source water. From bathtubs to sinks, leaks can often spring from these features and cause damage in the local area. Similar to burst pipes, these fixture leaks can lead to staining, mould growth and damaged materials.
Sewer Flooding
Sewers are responsible for transporting waste from properties to sanitation facilities, however, sometimes things can go wrong. Sewage systems can become overwhelmed, which leads to sewage making its way back through drains and toilets. Flooding from sewage is particularly unpleasant, as it can contaminate a space and create health hazards alongside damaging the interior of a property.
Flooding Damage
Flooding can happen as a result of a variety of situations, from rivers overflowing to sudden flash flooding. Floods can cause a large amount of water damage in a short period. It’s typically difficult to prevent flooding from impacting a property and making an insurance claim can be challenging due to coverage limits and exclusions when it comes to flooding.
Other Types of Property Damage
Unfortunately, properties can become damaged as a result of more than just water. Read on to learn more about the different types of property damage that you may face as a homeowner.
Storm Damage
While most residential properties are relatively solid, they are not immune to damage as a result of storms. High winds, hail and heavy snowfall as a result of storms are often responsible for causing damage to a home, not to mention falling trees.
Fire Damage
Spreading fast, fires can quickly consume parts of a property. Fires inside the home can be caused by kitchen fires and faulty electrics. Often a home insurance policy will have specific coverage that protects a homeowner from this serious damage, however, it might depend on who is responsible for starting the fire.
Vandalism and Malicious Damage
When criminals break into your home, they may choose to cause purposeful damage and harm to your property. The intentional destruction or defacement of a property without consent is known as vandalism, while malicious damage is intentionally causing damage to harm a property or the property owner. Not all home insurance policies will include coverage for vandalism and malicious damage, making it important to read through a potential policy before choosing it. Vandalism and malicious damage coverage might be available as an added extra, rather than part of your overall policy.
Preventative Measures
To prevent the need for any future claims on your home insurance policy, there are some ways you can protect your property from harm. Read on to discover some key ways to protect your property from serious damage.
Preventing Water Damage
Arguably the best thing you can do to prevent water damage from occurring in your home is carrying out regular maintenance. Inspect your plumbing systems for any signs of damage to minimise the risk of leaks. Checking over your appliances and ensuring hoses and connections are secure can also prevent leaks around fixtures, saving you from potential water damage.
Preventing Storm Damage
Storms are often unpredictable, and it can be hard to anticipate how they might affect your property. This makes it hard to avoid damage completely, however, there are some ways to help lessen the severity of the damage. Regularly inspecting your roof for loose shingles and damage can help to ensure its strength and condition, helping to prevent the likelihood of it becoming further damaged in a storm.
Preventing Fire Damage
As fires can be serious and frightening, preventing them from happening can be important to a household. Smoke detectors are one way to do so, highly useful for quickly alerting a household to the presence of smoke. You should also ensure your cooking practices are responsible and safe, by keeping any flammable materials away from the stove and open flames. Make sure to verify that all of your electricals are safe to use before doing so, checking for any loose wires or other warning signs.
Ultimately, no matter how hard you protect your home from damage, there is always the opportunity for problems to occur. That’s why proper home insurance policies can be invaluable to property owners, assisting them if the unexpected happens. To help ensure your insurance claim is successful and that restorative work is carried out to a high standard, All Property Claims is here to support you.
Our Services at All Property Claims
Before making your home insurance claim, contact our experts at All Property Claims. Contacting our team before making your claim can prevent you from falling into common pitfalls when making an insurance claim. We take pride in being advocates for our clients, making sure they get their preferred result.
We will survey your property, assess the level of damage within, and then study your insurance policy to determine what you are entitled to. On your behalf, we will be able to meet your insurer or loss adjuster and negotiate a claim settlement. Once agreed, our restoration contractors can undertake the restoration of issues caused by property damage, restoring your property to its former condition.
Whether you’re making a fire damage claim or claiming flood damage, our insurance claims management company is here to support you. Please visit the All Property Claims website to discover more about us, including the key reasons why you should choose our services. Alternatively, please get in touch with our team today for further information and support.