With the recent cold snap comes advice to help landlords winter-proof their properties in a bid to protect them from plunging temperatures.
The offering from Simple Landlords Insurance is to help landlords avoid a phone call from a worried tenant informing them of an emergency.
The firm says that by winter-proofing their property, a landlord will save money, time and lots of hassle.
These are the steps they recommend to help avoid becoming a victim of a winter property disaster.
Prevent burst pipes
Burst pipes account for one in five insurance claims from landlords with falling temperatures causing frozen water to burst a pipe.
This happens most often when a property is left empty over winter and the heating is switched off.
The water will then freeze and expand within the pipe which will then, when the weather warms up, crack and burst the pipe.
The insurance firm says landlords should help prevent burst pipes by asking their tenants to keep their heating on at night at low temperatures particularly if they go away on holiday.
Should they have a leak, the tenant should report this immediately and the landlord should arrange a repair.
Check the heating
It's one thing asking tenants to keep the heating on at night but the landlord should ensure their heating is in working order and they should install extra insulation, draught excluders and bleed the radiators.
Landlords should also have a Gas Safe registered engineer check that the boiler works properly before temperatures fall.
Check your insurance
It's always worth ensuring that the landlord’s insurance policy is still valid, particularly if they don't live near to their rental property or they are going to be unavailable for a period.
It may also be worth adding home emergency cover to the landlord’s policy.
Weatherproof the roof
With winter come strong storms which means a rental property’s roof may be subject to wind and storm damage.
However, an insurance policy will only cover this damage if the rental property has been reasonably maintained by the landlord.
Essentially, for winds below 52 mph, it's unlikely that a well-maintained property will be damaged so if your rental property has old fencing or loose ridge tiles they may not be covered by your insurance.
Check the gutters
While looking at the roof, landlords should clear their rental property gutters of debris, particularly in cold months since those that do not drain properly can cause lots of problems.
Not only can they damage the property's foundations with water running down the property’s external walls but also lead to penetrating damp and rot.
By taking these simple steps, Simple Landlords Insurance says all landlords will be able to pre-empt an expensive bill but they also need to ensure that their insurance policy covers them for a wide range of situations.
