With the winter months fast approaching, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has offered helpful advice for landlords to ensure that their properties are sufficiently protected during this period.
Problems
Unsurprisingly, adverse weather can lead to serious problems to a property. Vast numbers of rental properties are damaged each year do to inclement conditions, costing thousands of pounds to repair and leaving tenants without a home.
Research from the NLA shows that freezing-related claims accounted for 35% of total claims on their insurance during the last year, despite these occurrences only happening during winter periods.[1] Freezing-related claims are features such as water escaping through burst or cracked pipes.
Suitable Policy
Taking this into account, the NLA is urging landlords to check that they have a suitable insurance policy. In addition, they are requesting that landlords inform tenants on ways to prevent weather damage.
Chairman of the NLA David Salusbury said: “Last winter was relatively mild compared to previous years so it’s important that landlords and their tenants aren’t complacent and take action to mitigate any risk of damage to the property.”[1]
Salusbury also warns: “Most normal home insurance policies do not provide cover in the event of damage in all circumstances.” As a result, he maintains: “Having the correct residential property insurance is vital.”[1]
Guidelines
The NLA believes that by following a few simple guidelines, tenants can greatly reduce risk of damage or hardship during winter. The NLA says that tenants should:
- Make sure that all pipes are sufficiently insulated.
- Ensure that all overflow pipes are not blocked and are connected properly.
- Inform tenants to leave their heating on a low setting during any winter void periods.
- Ensure that the tenant has an emergency contact number.
Communication
NLA Property Insurance’s Broking Manager Steve Barnes, believes that landlords should “start to dialogue with tenants,” if they think “they may be away for extended periods during the winter months.” He also thinks that landlords should ask tenants to “leave the heating on a low temperature,” or even contribute towards the heating bill, Barnes feels that this “could be far more beneficial in the long-term.”[1]
Barnes also said: “Landlords should make sure their tenants are aware of how to correctly set thermostats, switch off utility supplies and know what to do in the event of an emergency. If away or uncontactable over the winter period, landlords should also provide appropriate contacts for any repair work.”[1]
[1] http://www.landlords.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/protect-your-properties-winter