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What to do if there’s a leak in your home
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Every home is prone to leaks. There are usually dozens of pipes running through our homes’ walls for the plumbing and central heating, and they can be temperamental – especially in frosty weather.
We talked to our LV= home insurance underwriter, Glen Mankelow, about how you should react if something in your home has sprung a leak, and how your home insurance provider might be able to help.
- What should you do if there’s a leak in your home?
- What can you do to prevent leaks?
- What are you covered for by your home insurer?
What should you do if there’s a leak in your home?
Usually, the first signs of a leak in your home are a sudden loss of water pressure, mysterious puddles or damp patches appearing on a floor, wall or ceiling. Often, however, the effects of a leak can suddenly show themselves as a bulge in the ceiling or a flood. When this happens, reacting quickly can help prevent further damage.
Not only can a leak cause structural damage in your home, but it can also lead to mould. Mould thrives in humid temperatures so if pipes are leaking in a warm area of the house, mould can appear as quickly as 24-48 hours.
Dangerous spores that can affect your health, can form in just three days if left untouched. It’s essential that as soon as you come across any sign of a leak, you act quickly to secure your home and health.
Since mould can be dangerous for your health, our handy 1 minute video explains how you can check and treat mould if you notice it in your home.
In the case of a leak, Glen recommends taking the following three steps:
- First, locate your stopcock and turn off the water. This will prevent water coming into your home and causing more damage.
- Run your taps to rid your system of all water.
- Call your insurer and tell them exactly what’s happened and where the leak has come from, e.g. the water tank in the loft, an upstairs bathroom or under the sink.
"If it’s safe to do so, try to soak up any water with towels and move any precious items or furniture out of harm’s way, you don’t want the bulging ceiling to burst over your lovely sofa!"
What if the leak is late at night or on a weekend?
Contact your home insurer – most insurers have a service available 24/7 to help you.
"Even if it’s late at night or at the weekend, we’re still here to help. LV=’s claims line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so someone will be there to help and give advice on what to do and how to minimise any damage."
"If for some reason you can’t get through, follow the tips above, then try to get in touch with us ASAP, or with a plumber – but be sure to keep all receipts and invoices."
Claiming on house insurance for a water leak
How can you find out if there’s a hidden leak in your home?
If there’s no obvious sign of a leak, but you suspect there is one, it’s wise to do something about it.
One way to find out if you have a leak is by checking the water meter in your home. To do this, make a note of the number on the meter display and then turn off your home’s water supply. Wait for at least half an hour and then check the meter again. If the number on the display has changed, this could indicate a leak. At that point, it’s time to call your insurer, water supplier or plumber.
"Even if your leak is a slow drip, you shouldn’t ignore it; slow drips can lead to much bigger problems such as rotten joists and blown ceilings."
For more tips on preventing leaks in your home watch our 30 second video: Stopping pesky leaks
You should regularly check the radiators and pipes around your house. Do they look in good condition? Pipes should be dry to the touch, if they’re not, this could be a sign of a slow leak.
Top tip: Don’t forget to check the grouting and sealant around baths, sinks and showers. These sealants are not designed to last forever and will need periodic maintenance and renewal. Failed sealant can be hard to spot, but in many cases, it can visually look raised from the surface or blackened, which is a sign it’s time to replace and reseal the area, before a leak occurs.
What can you do to prevent leaks?
Although it’s often difficult to access and assess your plumbing and central heating, regular services can help avoid leaks in the future.
"Make sure your home is kept in good condition – nothing lasts forever so maintaining your home is key."
Top tip: Have your boiler, heating and hot water system regularly maintained with annual services by a qualified heating engineer. A well-maintained system is the best way to keep on top of issues before they happen. The costs of these checks will be far less and you’ll avoid the potential damage and inconvenience a water leak could have on your family home.
"If there is cold weather on the way, you can prevent your pipes freezing and bursting by keeping your home’s heating on low even when you’re out. You can also lag your pipes (add insulation to them) to prevent them freezing and bursting."
One of our customers went on holiday over Christmas. While they were away freezing temperatures caused two of the attic pipes to burst, causing water damage to many rooms below. As you may imagine, that’s definitely something you wouldn’t want to come back home to after a holiday. Like everything in life, prevention is better than cure, so regular maintenance could make a real difference.
There’s also great tech that can help monitor your home’s pipes. For example, installing a water leak detector will give you an early warning of any trouble. Some, such as Samsung’s SmartThings device, can connect to your smartphone so you can get notifications on the move.
What are you covered for by your home insurer?
Depending on what’s caused the leak, your insurer can help in a number of ways – including covering the cost of repairs.
"If you have home insurance with LV=, we'll cover pretty much all aspects of your leak claim, depending on what’s caused it. We'll also provide dehumidifiers and pay for any increase in your bills while we’re carrying out work in your home."
If a slow leak causes damp, and you don’t deal with it, you won’t be covered for repairs. "Damp is caused gradually over time, and typically insurers won’t cover you for damage caused in this way."
"There’s a lot you can do to prevent damp, such as keeping on top of general maintenance: clearing gutters, making sure your brickwork isn’t crumbling, keeping your home warm and well ventilated, and trying to avoid too much moisture through hanging clothes to dry inside and taking care when cooking."