Home Owner Insurance

Looking after your Home and Contents

This page is a home owner guide with essential advice on home owner insurance, gas heating systems, gas safety checks, information on roofs and dry and wet rot, including practical solutions on looking after your home. If you require any further details please contact a member of our home insurance team.

Home owner Insurance and advice

• Check the outside shell of your home, making sure all windows are weather tight
• Check all electrical leads and plugs within your home are in good working order and they have no signs of wear and tear, if they do they should be replaced immediately
• It is recommended that electrical installations within the home are checked every 10 -to 15 years by a qualified electrician
• In older properties brickwork may require attention, any exposed sections will need to be re-pointed
• Ask Cover Direct for a home owner insurance quote now.

Gas heating systems

Gas boilers, fires and water heaters should be serviced or checked once a year by a CORGI registered engineer, to find out more visit www.corgi-gas-safety.com. As a home owner you have the responsibility to make sure that all your gas fittings and appliances are safe. Gas appliances can produce deadly carbon monoxide if appliances are not working correctly or the ventilation becomes blocked.

DANGER SIGNS

• Sooting around the appliance
• A yellow or orange lazy flame
• Excessive condensation in the room where the appliance is installed.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning are similar to those of viral infections and include:

• Drowsiness
• Weakness
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Chest pain.

If any person within your home has any of the above symptoms when using a gas appliance, STOP using the appliance immediately until it has been checked by a CORGI registered installer.

Consult your doctor and mention there could be a possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.

What to do if gas escapes

If you smell gas

DO:

• Turn off your gas supply and open windows and doors.

DO NOT:

• Smoke
• Use naked flames
• Turn electric switches on or off.

Roofs

The roof of your home is extremely important and repair due to home owner neglect can be very costly. Get peace of mind by asking Cover Direct for a home owner insurance quote on-line now.

Regular maintenance should be carried out to reduce the chance of major damage developing to the roof of your building:

• Tiles can be damaged by high winds or frost, any tiles which need to be replaced should be done so as soon as possible, in the event of tiles falling they could be a danger to people, cars and anything else below
• Damaged tiles can also lead to leaks, this is not always obvious at first, treat a leaking roof as an emergency as this can cause havoc if left untreated even in a small space of time
• REMEMBER roof maintenance is a job for experts as they have the right equipment to make repairs efficiently and most of all safely. Never climb on the roof yourself.

Wet and dry rot

Dry rot

Dry rot is a fungus which can rapidly destroy any timber in its path. The fungus thrives in moist, unventilated conditions and will break through brickwork to get to more timber and can cause widespread damage.

Home owners need to look for:

Initially the fungus appears similar in appearance to cotton-wool which covers brickwork or timber, if exposed to light this can be turned to a yellowish tint.
If you have dry rot, it is most probably best to have the problem looked at by a specialist firm as you will be covered by their guarantee if the problem was to return.

Wet rot

Wet rot attacks wood which is wet rather than damp. Compared with dry rot this is a less serious problem to have! Wet rot is the timber decaying naturally in the presence of high levels of moisture. There is almost always a simple reason for the wet rot; this may be that an adjacent wall to the timber is suffering from damp or water is collecting onto the timber frame.

Home owners need to look for:

• Check vulnerable areas of timber such as widows and doorframes, for signs of rot
• Look for dark, rotten wood, spilt along the grain.

If you notice you have wet rot first of all treat any structural problem, it is pointless in repairing the damage to the timber if it is going to reappear. If wet rot occurs in structural timbers expert advice should be sought.

Home owner Insurance

Cover Direct Home Owner Insurance can give you peace of mind and offer home and contents insurance cover. For an instant home insurance quote or to speak to one of our home insurance advisors please contact Cover Direct and we will be happy to answer any questions you have about looking after your property and home insurance cover.