So at long last you have managed to find your perfect place in the sun, the holiday home you have always wanted and the chance to get away from it all for a few weeks of the year. It’s a wonderful idea, and a great way to spend the summer, relaxing in your second home and enjoying sunnier climes without the worries of hotel fees and other guests.
But problems can arise when you view your home purely as a holiday retreat, without thinking about how it will surive the winter when you’re not around to take care of it. 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 buried in the small print, common examples of these requirements are switching off and draining the water system every time you leave, not leaving the property unattended for over 30 days or even performing weekly checks.
Failure to meet these conditions could leave your holiday home without cover if something happened, 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 do everything in your power to protect your holiday home against potential damage over the winter months. Security is key, and it’s important to make sure that no valuables are left in sight and that the house is secure. If possible it’s advisable to have someone you trust locally 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 can arise in unattended holiday homes is that water pipes may freeze or burst during the winter. Last year hundreds of holiday owners were caught out by the unexpected cold weather, finding their second homes damaged by water as a result of being unprepared. 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, don’t turn the heating off over the winter – it may save on 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 the roof insulation where heat from the house cannot rise to. Turn off the water mains to limit the amount of leakage if a pipe does burst, and most importantly if you do discover a frozen or burst pipe, call a plumber immediately!