MAINTAIN YOUR HOME AND AVOID REJECTED CLAIMS

HOME INSURANCE COVERS DAMAGE CAUSED BY UNFORESEEN EVENTS, NOT GRADUALWEAR AND TEAR

It’s important to remember that home insurance is meant to protect you against the impact of sudden, unforeseenand accidental events, and not wear and tear. ‘Wear and tear’ means gradual deterioration caused by aging, normaluse or the environment, for example hail, moths, insects, rust or mildew.

PROPER MAINTENANCE CAN HELP PREVENT LOSS OR DAMAGE AND REJECTED CLAIMS

To help prevent loss or damage caused by wear and tear, you have to maintain your home and make sure thateverything is in good working order. If you don’t maintain your home and you need to claim, your claim might berejected.

For example, you can prevent water damage due to a blocked or leaking gutter if you maintain it properly. So, if youclaim for damage as a result of your leaking gutter, your claim may be rejected because of poor home maintenance.

The good news is that maintaining your home does not have to be hard. By doing regular standard maintenancechecks you can manage the risks. On the next page we provide a few handy tips for maintaining your home.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE CAN SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY IN THE LONG RUN

While your Nedbank Insurance Homeowner’s Cover will likely pay for damage caused by unforeseen events that couldnot have been prevented, it’s important to remember that you will be responsible for fixing defects caused by wearand tear. The time and money you put into regular (and often minor) maintenance jobs along the way can save yousignificant expenses in the long run.

HANDY TIPS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR HOME

Paint your home’s exterior as often as required

• Problems inside your home often come from outside. Painting theexterior of your home not only looks attractive - it also adds anextra layer of protection to walls and wooden fixtures.
• Choose a high-quality exterior paint or varnish to helpweatherproof your home and reduce the risk of damp.
• How regularly you paint your home depends on factors such asthe quality of the paint and weather conditions.
• Watch out for these signs that the exterior of your home needs tobe painted, even if the suggested amount of years between paintjobs haven’t passed yet: faded paint, blistering paint, peeling paint,chalky, powdery paint, and/or exposed patches of wall.

Check and clean your chimney annually

Creosote, a substance that is createdby burning wood, is highly flammableand can build up in your chimney overtime. To avoid the risk of your chimneycatching fire, check and remove thecreosote at least once a year if youregularly use your chimney.

Ensure proper ventilation

• Reduce problems causedby damp and mouldby opening windowsto ventilate a room,especially the bathroomand kitchen when youshower or cook.
• In addition, it may be agood idea to invest inextractor

Take care of yourgutters

• Clear out your guttersregularly, making surethat the spouts aren’tblocked to preventwater damage to yourroof. This is especiallyimportant afterautumn to ensure theweight of the leavesdoesn’t loosen thegutters.
• Check that the spoutspoint away from yourwalls to prevent damp.
• At the same time,inspect the condition ofyour roof to make surethere is no damage.

Maintain your pool

• During summer, keep your pool sparkling by:
  • checking the pool’s pH levels;
  • cleaning the skimmer basket;
  • checking water levels; and
  • cleaning the pool filter by backwashing and rinsing.
• Keep the area around the pool clean and free of hazards thatcould potentially trip up or hurt your guests.
• Cover the pool during winter to make sure your pool remains ina good condition even when it’s not being used.

Look after your garden

• Pull out weeds regularly.
• Check the trees in your garden tomake sure they don’t start growinginto the building or perimeter wall,which may cause structural damage.