Protect the home from winter blues

With half-term week now on the horizon, families the length and breadth of thecountry will be getting ready to jet off for a quick week away from the cold snap currently washing over the country.

However, be it a rental home or your own property, it is important to ensure that the house is protected from the dangers of winter weather.

Failure to make sure that the home is well insulated and protected against the cold can mean that homeowners are left with burst and frozen pipes, potentially having to deal with floods in the home, and the stress of home insurance claims that go with it.

Insurance expert esure has therefore offered tips to those living in UK property to ensure that they can jet off with peace of mind over the half-term break.

The most important thing to do before heading off this half term, is to make sure that you have left the heating ticking over to retain heat in the home. Without people being in, property can become cold very quickly, increasing the risk of pipes freezing and bursting.

The insurer has also advised that homeowners should leave their loft hatch open. This measure will let heat circulate through the attic, and will allow pipes up there to retain warmth so that they do not freeze.

Such tips can be vital, even after half term, especially with the Met Office reporting earlier this week that there is a chance that the current cold snap in the UK could tighten its grip on many areas for anything up to a month.

Gordon Hannah, director of claims at esure said: "Last winter nearly every large burst pipe claim was a tragic blueprint.  Families had gone away, freezing weather had caused their pipes to burst and they returned a day or two later to the widespread destruction of their homes and personal belongings.  The cost of these claims is huge but the emotional impact and inconvenience to homeowners is worse."