Homeowners could face bills running into €10,000’s if pipe bursts during cold snap

Many people could be caught out by underinsurance this winter. “Being underinsured is a very dangerous position to be ahead of a cold snap.”

Homeowners could face bills running into the tens of thousands, or more, if a burst pipe causes damage to their home in the upcoming Big Freeze – even if they have home insurance, the home insurers, Peopl Insurance has warned.

This is because many homeowners are underinsured – meaning they are at risk of only getting a fraction of the payout they expect from their insurer if their house is damaged during the Big Freeze/next Beast from the East, according to Paul Walsh, CEO of Peopl.ie.

“Burst pipes are one of the most common problems during icy weather,” said Mr Walsh. “A burst pipe could cost tens of thousands euro worth of damage if water is left running for a few days. The bill for the damage could even be more if a pipe bursts while you’re away as you’ll likely have to replace plasterboard, walls, wardrobes, kitchen units and so on – and you’ll probably have to repair electrical damage too. You could have to foot a big chunk of such damage repair bills yourself if you have underinsured your home – because your insurer will usually reduce its payout by the amount you’ve underinsured yourself by.”

Under-insurance is where your home is insured for less than the full cost of rebuilding it – or where the contents in your home are insured for less than it would cost to replace them. More homeowners are getting caught out by underinsurance today – and are facing huge and unexpected repair bills as a result, according to Walsh.

“A recent report by the Central Bank found that about one in six (16.5%) Irish homeowners are underinsured,” said Walsh. “One of the main reasons people are underinsured today is that rising building costs have pushed up the cost of rebuilding or repairing their home. There are cases where people have underinsured their home by as much as 30 per cent – or even 50 per cent. This is a very dangerous position to be in ahead of a cold snap.”

Some people have had to take out loans to cover repair bills on their home because they were underinsured and had no rainy day fund in the wings, according to Walsh. “It is important for homeowners to know that the onus is on them to ensure their home is insured for the right amount,” said Walsh. “People sometimes worry that their home insurance will be more expensive if they increase the buildings sum insured (the most your insurer will pay if your home is damaged or destroyed and needs to be rebuilt) on their home – however, it might not affect your premium at all.”

So as the cold snap approaches, Peopl.ie is urging homeowners to make sure the building sum and the contents sum insured (the most a home insurer will pay out if contents are damaged or destroyed) are correct. It is also urging people to take a number of steps to prevent burst pipes.

• Make sure the water tank and pipes in your attic are properly lagged or insulated. Don’t forget any pipes in unheated or draughty places, such as basements or garages – or outdoor pipes. Should your home have a well, make sure you have insulated any outdoor well pipes.
• Insulate or wrap a towel around any outside taps to prevent them from freezing.
• Repair leaking or dripping taps or pipes.
• Find out where the stopcock is – and how to use it to turn off the water supply if your pipes burst.
• Drain the water system if you’ve a holiday home that will be unoccupied during the winter months.
• Don’t ignore signs of excessive mould in a shower or bathroom – particularly if you find mushrooms growing in it. In situations like this, there could be a burst pipe running undetected behind your shower tiles or wall – or inside the bathroom wall.
• Run the heating for short periods to keep the pipes from freezing and to keep the water circulating, if you can. The heating does not need to be set to normal room temperature – even a temperature of 10-12 degrees will work equally well.
• Open your attic trap door to allow heat from the house to circulate through the attic.
• Pin the emergency help number for your insurer onto your notice board so that if you have an escape of water from frozen pipes, you can call-out the home emergency team straight away.
• If you do unfortunately encounter issues with burst pipes or tanks, turn the water off, contact your insurer before you pay for repairs and take pictures of the damage to support your claim. You should also let frozen pipes thaw out naturally – do not heat them prematurely as they are likely to crack.