Winter advice for owners of holiday homes and empty properties

November 2011

Owners of unoccupied properties and holiday homes are being warned that failure to act now could be disastrous with the onset of cold weather just around the corner.

Colin Bickers, one of Green Insurance Group's specialist staff in this sector is appealing to all owners of properties which may be left empty even for short periods over the coming winter, to look carefully at where they could be at risk of their property freezing.

The insurance industry was hit hard last winter when houses all over the country fell victim to the cold weather causing burst pipes and serious damage not only to empty property, but even to homes which were lived in.

Some of the main problems were caused by:

Unoccupied properties - water system not sufficiently drained and heating switched off, leading to freezing in pipes causing burst pipes.

Unoccupied and occupied Properties - Owners left the property with the heating on timed - Freezing occurred between heats and caused burst pipes.

Unoccupied and occupied properties - Heating left on 24 hours, but header tank or pipes in roof space still froze, causing severe water leaks.

Here are the precautions you need to consider this winter to reduce your risk.

Heating on 24/7

Leave your heating on, 24 hours per day - Not timed. If the property is not lived in, or if you are leaving your home for more than a few hours, still keep the heating on, at a setting of at least 14 degrees C.

Water off

If you are leaving a property unattended for more than a few hours, check now to see if you can safely turn the water off at the stopcock without affecting or damaging the heating system. This simple procedure will prevent a small leak turning into a disaster.

Loft Hatch Open

Leave you loft hatch open a little way (about 12 inches or 30 cm is recommended). This will allow heat from the house to circulate in the roof space during the coldest periods and help prevent your header tank from freezing.

Protect outside pipes and taps

Check for leaks in any outside taps and pipes, and wrap them up snugly to reduce the chances of freezing. Check them regularly throughout cold weather.

Our most important advice is to exercise common sense, and to keep a regular check on your properties during periods of cold weather.

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