Property management services must beware of frozen pipes, warns More Than
Posted by Gary Winter
The importance of ensuring you purchase landlord property insurance has once again been highlighted by home insurance firm More Than.
With February set to be the coldest month of the year, property management services could well have their hands full with temperatures falling well below freezing.
According to More Than, these increasingly cold temperatures create one of the most dangerous situations for any owner of buy-to-let properties with the risk of damage from burst water pipes and tanks rising exponentially.
The risk of burst pipes is particularly dangerous in those properties that are left empty during the cold snap, which continues to show little chance of letting up.
Snow is forecast for much of the coming weekend, making the importance of preparing properties, if you have not already done so, all the more important.
Matt Pernet, head of More Than Home Insurance said: "We are urging home and small business owners to take the necessary steps to protect their property, especially if it is going to be left empty during this time."
The insurance provider has issued a number of tips to help landlords avoid water pipe damage.
Those working in property management services must keep central heating set to a minimum of ten to 12 degrees while also insulating pipes and removing loft insultation in the area underneath your watertank to prevent it freezing.
Other tips include programming heating to come on for a short time each day so water remains in circulation or in those cases where you are dealing with empty properties, turning off the water at the stopcock and draining the system could be of benefit.
In any instance, those with landlord property insurance should store documents in a safe place where they can be easily found in the event of an emergency.
If pipes are found to have burst turn off water at the stopcock and avoid the use of any water supply and turn off heating.
Fill a bath for a supply of water in the event that you are unsure of whether the leak is occurring.
Life any furniture off the affected ground and in the event of any electrical items being affected turn off the power and contact an electrician.
Remove pictures from affected rooms in order to avoid moisture damage and leave internal doors shut if they have been affected otherwise swelling may occur.
Finally if ceilings are bowing, move all valuables and pierce the affected ceiling with a screwdriver being sure to catch water in a container.
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