Your home is your biggest investment. Therefore, you want to do everything that you can to keep it in the best possible condition to prevent costly repairs later that could eventually raise your home owner’s insurance. Given that dreadful thought of the need to submit a home claim, here are some simple preventive measures to better protect your home.
Did you know that in 2020 that approximately every 89 seconds a fire department got called to a home fire somewhere in the country? In fact, someone experiencing a home fire may die every three hours or experience an injury due to that fire. Being the case, a good place to start is taking a few fire safety precautions by getting smoke alarms set up in bedrooms, kitchen and the basement and see that they work. A big mistake many make is forgetting to test the batteries.
You also should think about getting a fire extinguisher as well within close reach of your kitchen and another for your laundry room. It is easier to grab these smaller extinguishers designed for those areas if a small fire can’t be contained. In a panic, you don’t always think rationally. If you happen to have hard wood floors such as in your laundry area and the dryer catches fire, you probably would hurry to dump a bucket or two of water over it to douse the flames. However, the water dumping method solves the fire problem but causes the flooring water damage and a higher rate to your insurance once that claim is made.
A home security system is another way in how you can protect your home and help lower the cost of your home owners insurance under their protective devices discounts. Depending on the insurer, rates can drop anywhere from 2% to 20%, which can save money and help keep your family and possessions safer from burglars.
It is extremely important to know where your main water shutoff valve is. Pipes or the water supply line can rupture to have water rushing swiftly through the house before you have a chance to think.
Finally, it pays to check the condition of your roof every year. Shingles can wear down or fly off from the weather or skylights can leak for instance. Home owners that have a fireplace and use it should have the chimney cleaned by a professional is the best way for how to protect your home from costly repairs later.
