At Insure My House we are specialists in dealing with members of the public and their queries and concerns regarding home insurance. As we are purely home insurance specialists, we have the ability to watch the market closely, to see exactly how it ebbs and flows.

Based on the volume of calls it is perfectly evident that there was a huge surge in people getting home insurance quotes in the lead up to Hurricane Ophelia.

At Insuremyhouse.ie, we witnessed an increase of roughly 65% of incoming calls, with a large volume being anxious to get cover in place as soon as possible due to the fact that they had let their policy lapse in the previous weeks or months. Things like home insurance can easily fall by the wayside, especially during the holiday period, but with the weather deteriorating once again homeowners should try and make sure that they don't leave themselves financially vulnerable.

“We know that some people allow their cover to lapse but Hurricane Ophelia really flagged just how many homes were perilously uninsured," says Deirdre McCarthy, home insurance expert with Insure My House."We received a flurry of calls from homeowners all over the country as soon as Met Eireann flagged the hurricane’s approach."

Taking the risk of allowing your cover to lapse can leave homeowners in a highly vulnerable position: the cost of rebuilding a home can be astronomical and even replacing burst pipes, repairing flood or fire damage can also be a significant financial burden.

Outside of ensuring that you have the appropriate cover is in place there are a number of other precautions you can take in order to ensure that you protect your home in all eventualities. After all, it's the most expensive purchase you'll ever make.

Flooding

Ensure your external walls and windows are adequately water resistant; there are various products, sealants and varnishes available to do this. If there are immediate floods warnings in place for your area then it might be worth using sandbags and wrapping to protect your property. If you live in a flood prone area it might be a good idea during more risky periods to keep personal and expensive items as high above ground level as possible.

Freezing

Make sure that water pipes and water tanks in the attic are insulated with good quality lagging. Know where the stopcock that turns off the water is located and make sure it works. If a pipe bursts, turn off the water at the stopcock, switch off central heating and any other water heating installations and open all taps to drain the system. Check the exterior walls of your home for holes; even small holes where cable wires or phone lines enter your home can be an entry point for freezing air. Purchase a tube of foam insulation, and close them up. Then, use weather stripping to remedy any cracks around your doors. Keep your gutters clean: Full gutters increase your chance of having ice form on your roof, and that's not something you want to mess with! Set aside some time to clean your gutters out before the freezing temperatures get here.

Making A Claim

If you are unfortunate enough to fall victim to an incident and need to make a claim, contact your insurer immediately to initiate the claims process as this can sometimes be a lengthy affair. Depending on the nature of the claim you may want to arrange for emergency repairs to be carried out immediately in order to prevent any escalation of damages. Compile as much evidence as possible; receipts and photos are particularly useful. Finally if you need to move out of your home, alert your insurer immediately.

These are some general precautions that can be taken, particularly in spells of bad weather. However the best way you can safeguard your property is to get the appropriate cover in place. Contact Insuremyhouse.ie on 01 603 2999 to get started with your home insurance quote.