Escape of water and the winter months

The cost of a water leak at home, whether gradual or sudden, is a major problem for UK homeowners. Here’s what we’re finding:

• 25% of the claims we see are due to escape of water and there’s a spike in escape of water claims during the winter months*.
• More than one escape of water claim in five years may make it difficult to find home insurance, and even a single recent claim may make it difficult to move insurers.
• Insurers may impose an additional excess for escape of water claims, on top of the standard excess.

But why does the risk of escape of water increase over the winter months? Simply put it is burst pipes caused by freezing conditions. To reduce the likelihood of this we recommend that you consider the following.

Insulation and Maintenance Check the insulation of your interior water pipes and water tank. Outside pipes and any pipes or water tanks in your loft will also benefit from insulation. Make sure your boiler and central heating system has had its annual service. This will also speed up the claims process if you do need to make a claim. If you have a condensing boiler, ensure that the condensation pipe (that takes the waste water from the boiler) is properly insulated. If it freezes, the boiler will stop working. Repair dripping taps. If you find any sign of a leak anywhere on your property, act quickly to save a bigger issue building over time. A water leak detection system can help with this.

Heating your home

Given the current cost of energy you may be tempted to limit the amount of fuel you’re using to heat your home. However, you shouldn’t try a “solution” that increases the risk of damage to your property or compromises your home insurance cover.

Some insurance policies may not pay out if your whole home is not heated to a minimum temperature. This minimum figure may be as high as 15c on some policies. Therefore, don’t be tempted to turn off the radiator in one or two rooms - which in the worst case may cause frozen pipes leading to escape of water.

If you have a second property which is unoccupied during the winter months, you may be tempted to turn the heating off altogether. As well as risking damage to your property due to frozen pipes, your insurance policy may require you to comply with specific minimum temperature requirements. Each insurers’ temperature range may vary so it’s important to check your policy wording.

If you have a heating endorsement in your home insurance policy and are unable to comply with such a condition, you should let your insurer or broker know. A specialist broker like Howden can look at alternative policies or ask your insurer to amend the restrictive condition so that you can comply.

Despite best efforts sometimes the worst does happen. To make sure you have the best possible cover in place if you do experience escape of water on your property – here are some things to consider.

Home Emergency Cover

Consider Home Emergency cover as part of your home insurance. With Home Emergency cover if you have a leak, you can call your insurer’s claims line and get the details of an available plumber who may be able to come around and quickly fix it. This limits the damage and may mean that you don’t need to deal with a major repair or claim on your home insurance policy.

Trace and Access Cover

Trace and Access cover refers to the amount a home insurer will pay to find the source of a water leak and repair any damage caused whilst doing so. It’s an important benefit as some leaks can be hard to trace and therefore costly to find. Trace and Access isn’t always covered as standard and is sometimes stripped out of cheaper policies to keep the premium down. To find out more read our article What is Trace and Access cover?

Alternative Accommodation Cover

Water leaks can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage and properties can take months to dry out before repairs can be completed. This may prevent you from living in the property.

Alternative Accommodation cover is the amount payable by an insurer to cover the cost of renting a temporary home for you and your family (and pets) following a claim that leaves your home uninhabitable.

A basic home insurance policy may give you 20% of the buildings sum insured to put towards alternative accommodation. Take a look at your current policy. Is there sufficient cover to allow your family (and pets) to live in a similar local property? Ensuring you have enough cover is particularly relevant in London and the south east where the cost of renting a home is proportionately higher.

How Howden can help

The Howden Private Cient team has a dedicated claims service who will reduce the burden of making an escape of water claim and take control over the claims management process, leaving you to be as involved and you want or need to. We also provide advice and recommendations on how to reduce the likelihood of future claims. It’s just one of the many benefits of using a broker. Discover even more advantages by reading: Why you need a broker for your home insurance.

*Based on data from Howden UK Brokers Limited – Private Client Division. Date correct as of 02/10/2024.