There are many reasons people might have a second home in Ireland. Perhaps they enjoy getting away from the city for long weekends, or they’ve inherited a home from a family member that is now used as a secondary home.

Either way a second home can be a huge benefit to you and your family, but it is also a huge responsibility and can risk causing large amounts of stress especially if you’re away from it for extended periods of time.

However, did you know that there is insurance specifically designed for those with holiday homes and protects you when you’re away from your property for an extended period of time? With holiday home insurance from insuremyhouse, you can shop around to get the best rates on insurance for your second home.

But wait – there’s more!

If you take some time to implement a few more security and safety measures for your holiday home, you can get even better rates on your insurance without reducing the quality of your cover. Check out some of our holiday home insurance savings tips below.

The amount of time that you spend at your holiday home

When you have a second home, the amount of time that you spend on the property does make a difference on your home insurance. For example, if you spend only a few weekends a year down in your holiday home, this can place more risk as any damage or break ins may not be as quickly noticed.

On the other hand, if you and your family spend multiple weeks there a year, throughout different seasons you may be eligible to save more money on your holiday home insurance.

Sounds like the perfect excuse to get away a little more often.

Have a groundskeeper or neighbour keep an eye on the house

Alternately, if you are not able to spend large amounts of time in your second home throughout the year but you still want to avail of savings on your holiday home insurance, there is another solution. Hiring a groundskeeper or asking a neighbour to frequently check in on the home can be a great way to ensure that your second home remains looked after when you’re unavailable.  

If you have someone who is able to contact you immediately if an issue occurs within the home, this can help you to mitigate thousands of euro in damages and help you to get cheaper home insurance. A groundskeeper or neighbour can also add additional advantages to your home in terms of security as they can help with outside maintenance of the home such as lawnmowing and keeping the house looking lived in. Long grass can be a beacon for thieves to signal that home is not regularly lived in.

Set your heating on a timer

Imagine this – you arrive at your holiday home after a long drive and having been away for a few months through the winter. You are excited to sit down and relax with a cup of tea and you enter the house to find that a pipe has burst, and flooding has damaged much of the floor and furniture in the house.

Burst pipes often occur when there is no heat to the house in the winter so the pipes freeze. As the water expands this causes the pipes to burst and causes the thaw to leak all over the house.  This scenario is one of the most common claims that come out of holiday and second home insurance and the longer the damage goes unnoticed, the worse that it can be.

To resolve this, Insuremyhouse.ie suggests installing a timed heater into your home. The timer is set to come on at specific intervals throughout the day to warm the house to a comfortable temperature without anyone needing to be present within the home. This simple solution can save you thousands in water damage over the years and is the perfect solution for those not living regularly in a home.

Perform seasonal maintenance

While no one wants to “work” when they are on holiday, one of the best things that you can do for your second home is to perform seasonal maintenance. This includes things such as cleaning out the gutters, checking that all electrical facilities are working properly and maintaining the land around the home. 

By performing a few simple chores when you visit you can help to prevent any issues such as drain blockages and electrical shortages when you’re not there. If you happen to live abroad and have a holiday home in Ireland, hiring a maintenance service to do these chores for you can be another great option. It’s much better to pay to prevent a problem than to pay to fix it.

Put your lights on a timer

As previously mentioned, holiday homes can be a hotbed for thieves. Many burglars will stake out holiday homes in the off seasons and break in when they know that there is no one expected to be on the property. This is why it’s so important to keep your home maintained and under the appearance of a presence even if you’re hundreds of kilometers away. 

One of the ways that you can deter thieves from knowing you’re not in the home is by putting your lights on a timer. These timers are set to turn on the lights in your home at certain times in the day or night to make it look like there is someone in the house and can help to deter burglars as they do not want to risk encountering the homeowner.

Invest in a security alarm and cameras

Ultimately, one of the best things that you can do for your holiday home is to invest in a security system to prevent theft and damage to your home. When it comes to holiday homes, we suggest an alarm system that contacts the security company directly to provide you with the fastest response time in the case of a break in.

In addition, it’s great idea to put cameras on the exterior of the home so that you can monitor any suspect activities. This can also be used as evidence if a break in occurs when you’re far away. There are numerous different systems on the market and it’s important to determine which is right for you.

 

Having a holiday home is a great luxury and can be incredibly rewarding for you and your family. Maintaining and keeping your home safe should be your first priority, and your care and attention to detail can be rewarded in your insurance policy.

If you have more questions about how to protect your second home or how to get the best rates on your home insurance, contact a member of the Insuremyhouse.ie customer care team who will be happy to help you.