How to winter-proof a holiday home: insurance, maintenance and empty-period risks

If you are wondering, how do you winter-proof a holiday home, then this post will help get you started …

Winter-proofing a holiday home involves preparing the property for cold weather and possible periods of vacancy. This typically includes protecting water systems from freezing, checking roofing and drainage, maintaining ventilation, and ensuring adequate security while the property is empty.

Many UK holiday home insurance policies also include conditions relating to heating, inspections and frost protection. Reviewing both maintenance arrangements and insurance requirements may help reduce the risk of winter-related damage and improve your second home winter care.

Why holiday homes can be higher risk during winter

When the temperature drops, any home is likely to be prone to greater risks of damage. Since they are frequently unoccupied during this coldest time of the year, the risks to a holiday home might be magnified simply because the damage goes unnoticed.

The harsh weather that batters an empty dwelling may increase some or all of these specific risks:

Escape of water

the Association of British Insurers notes that escape of water is among the most common causes of household insurance claims in the UK;

if there is no one on the premises during the winter months to raise a timely alarm, even a relatively minor leak may lead to a seriously damaging escape of water;

Freezing pipes

those leaks and burst pipes often occur during freezing winter temperatures;

if pipes – especially those in vulnerable areas such as lofts, garages or on exposed outside walls – are inadequately lagged or insulated, the risk of frozen and then burst pipes escalates;

Roof damage

the roof of any building typically bears the brunt of heavy rain, snow, and high winds;

careful attention to winter holiday home maintenance may help to detect weaknesses in the roofing materials used on your holiday home;

Storm damage

winter storms may cause considerable structural damage to your holiday home;

this might be caused by tiles or slates dislodged in strong winds or fallen trees and branches;

Long unoccupied periods

since it’s a holiday home, you might not be staying there so often during the winter months;

the longer no one is there, and it remains empty, the longer any maintenance issues or faults may likely go undetected; and

suitable UK holiday home insurance is likely to become more prudent than ever.

Your winter property precautions, along with the location of your holiday home and its overall state of repair, are all factors likely to be taken into account when insuring the property.

Winter insurance requirements for holiday home owners

There are many good reasons to winterproof your holiday home. Indeed, many insurers are likely to include policy conditions relating to cold weather or periods when the property is unoccupied.

Some of the common requirements set out by insurers include precautions such as maintaining a minimum ambient temperature to prevent freezing temperatures from occurring within the home. There are also frost detection devices that warn you if the temperature drops to a critical level. Your insurer may require that these are installed.

If the property is going to stand empty for any length of time, your insurer might even require the water system to be drained down to prevent pipes and fittings from freezing.

If the property is to be left empty for longer than several months, in most cases, the insurer may require regular inspections and the contact details of a local keyholder who can access the property quickly in the event of an emergency.

These are just a few of the precautions that different insurers may insist upon. But do note that policy terms, conditions and requirements typically vary among insurance providers and policies. It therefore makes sense to review your insurance documentation for any requirements that may help to winterproof your holiday home, or speak to your insurance broker for clarification.

Essential winter maintenance tasks

Most property insurance policies expect the policyholder to maintain the building in a reasonable state of repair as part of the policy conditions.

Therefore, you may want to consider winter holiday home maintenance as an essential foundation of the insurance cover for your second home. With that in mind, here are some practical suggestions for reducing the likelihood of winter-related loss and damage:

Guttering, drainage and the garden

the UK is blessed with a temperate climate – it means that winters are generally very wet;

water and damp are enemies of many a home, so be sure to clear leaves and other debris from gutters and other rainwater goods to prevent overflows or the build-up of ice if a big freeze sets in;

winter storms and heavy rain can place additional stress on surrounding trees, fencing and garden structures. Periodic checks of overhanging branches, loose garden furniture or unsecured outbuildings may help reduce the chance of storm‑related damage affecting the property itself. Read our blog: Winter-proof your garden for further tips;

Roofing checks

you’ll want to winterproof your holiday home before winter sets in;

that’s certainly true when it comes to inspections of the roof, tiles and slates, chimneys and flashing to ensure that all are wind and watertight before the bad weather strikes;

Pipe insulation

a sudden cold snap can happen early in the winter months, so don’t be caught out;

make sure that exposed pipework in the loft spaces, garage, and outside supplies is adequately lagged and insulated;

Internal ventilation

do you ever get that damp and musty smell when you open up your holiday home first thing after it’s been closed for the winter?

that’s a sign you might need to improve the airflow and ventilation to prevent condensation, damp, and mould.

These are just a handful of suggestions, of course, and by no means an exhaustive list of all your winter property precautions. Well before the winter closes in, you might want to make a thorough inspection, devise your own maintenance routine, and rest assured that your holiday home will safely see through the worst of the weather.

Protecting against empty-period risks

Your holiday home is probably most at risk when it is lying empty and unoccupied for weeks – or even months – on end during the winter. That’s when the threats of undetected maintenance issues and the unwanted attentions of thieves and other intruders are at their height. The following suggestions may help to mitigate those risks:

Security measures

external access points need to be secured by keeping doors and windows securely locked;

you might want to consider upgrading both door and window locks – look for the British Standards security rating, which is BS 3621 and commonly recommended by insurance policies for external doors;

Staged lighting

just as you might do when you leave your main residence overnight, timed lighting in your holiday home may give the appearance of the place being lived in;

timers have become quite sophisticated these days, and switching on and off may even be controlled by remote apps from your mobile phone;

Alarm systems

for a further step up in your security arrangements, a monitored intruder alarm may give additional protection;

once again, monitoring, notifications, and alerts may be controlled from an app on your smartphone;

Preventing mould and damp

as we’ve seen, preventing mould and damp is likely to be a key maintenance issue while your holiday home is closed for the winter;

you might want to consider a Wi-Fi or smart-home hub that sends alerts when conditions are likely to cause mould or condensation;

the most basic devices – known as hygrometers – continuously monitor the relative humidity and room temperature in your holiday home, sending an alert to your smartphone when pre-set limits are breached.

Once again, these are simply suggestions to help get the ball rolling – you may want to expand the list of security and environmental precautions to suit your particular holiday home.

What holiday home insurance may cover during winter

Uk holiday home insurance policies are many and varied – policy terms, conditions, and exclusions may differ quite widely from one policy to another. Although you may need to choose your policy carefully to ensure that it suits your particular needs and requirements, you are likely to find that some of the risks commonly covered typically may include:

loss or damage to the structure and fabric of the building;

escape of water;

storm damage;

theft or attempted theft;

property owners’ liability indemnity insurance; and

as a common optional addition, cover for accidental damage.

The list is by no means exhaustive, and you may want to study your policy documents carefully to understand the full cover that is offered, or speak to your insurance broker.

Winter checklist for UK holiday home owners

Let’s conclude with suggestions for a holiday home winter checklist:

inspect the roof and gutters of your second home;

clear the gutters and all rainwater goods of leaves and other debris;

insulate all exposed pipework with suitable lagging material;

check the heating system – and drain down if required by your insurers;

check that the internal stopcock can be easily located and operated may help ensure that the water supply can be quickly isolated if required;

secure all the doors and windows – replacing or upgrading locks when necessary;

set lighting timers;

check the garden fences, outbuildings and any furniture is secure, cut away loose or over-hanging tree branches;

arrange for regular inspections of your holiday home – either by nearby friends and neighbours or a suitable property management company; and

confirm that you are complying with any conditions and requirements stipulated by your insurance policy – with particular attention to any special considerations during the winter months or when the property stands empty and unoccupied for longer than a month or two.

This checklist is by no means exhaustive and may be elaborated further by the circumstances of your particular holiday home and by the specific conditions and requirements of your insurers.

If you have further questions about appropriate insurance cover for your UK holiday home during the winter months, do not hesitate to draw on our extensive experience and expertise here at Cover4LetProperty. We will be very happy to help.

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