Is your home safe in your absence?
Theft, burst pipes or power cuts are the most common risks that your home is exposed when you are away.
As a rule, once home insurance has been taken out, 98% of users do not read the coverages again until a claim occurs.
Most of us are planning to go on holiday this summer. At this time of year, our usual home is exposed to possible risks such as theft, water damage or breakdowns in our household appliances.
Do you know the coverage of your HOME insurance policy?
Before going on holiday, it is advisable to review these five points to make sure that you have the necessary cover and know that you are fully covered.
1- Theft and Robbery: Home insurance policies differentiate between theft, or robbery, if our home has been broken into at some point of access. It is important to be clear about this difference in order to know how far the policy covers us.
At Boracay Brokers we recommend that, when leaving the house, we make sure that the windows are closed and the front door is completely locked. It is equally important to have proof, by means of photographs, invoices or documents, of the valuables in the home.
As for the theft of cars or motorbikes, if they are in the garage of a single-family home, they can be covered by home insurance, but by taking out an optional guarantee. On the other hand, in a community insurance policy, they are not considered part of the contents and, with some exceptions, will not be covered.
2- Water damage: This is one of the most common accidents. Damage suffered due to breakdowns or burst pipes is covered by home insurance.
However, claims may be generated by leaks or blockages, which are covers that must be taken out additionally.
3- Power cuts and damage to electrical appliances: Momentary power cuts are frequent in summer and especially affect electrical appliances such as refrigerators. Although most policies cover this type of damage, not all of them do, especially if the supply company does not certify the power cut, so it is advisable to check our insurance before going on holiday.
4- Fire: Home insurance policies cover fires that occur accidentally. However, they do not take charge of those that are produced by bad faith or negligence of the insured person. For this reason, we recommend to turn off the differential, or in its defect, all the plugs that are not essential, and to close the gas stopcock. Furthermore, objects of special value such as jewellery, works of art or cash are only included if they have been previously declared and are duly identified.
5- Atmospheric phenomena: The majority of home insurance policies cover damages caused by rain, wind, etc.
However, it is true that there are certain nuances that are important to verify.
At Boracay Brokers we remind you that coverages that are not covered in the insurance policy cannot be added after the occurrence of the incident, so we recommend that you take them out before leaving on your trip and, if you have any doubts, visit one of our offices to obtain advice and get to know the conditions of the different policies on the market.