What to Do If You Have A Water Leak at Home

A water leak in your home can be an absolute nightmare. From disrupting your day to day life to making your own home unbearable to live in. Such an occurrence will demand your immediate attention and most likely the intervention by a professional to repair the damage.

You may end up spending more money than you previously expected when it comes to water leaks, especially if you don’t have home insurance or your cover don’t include emergency repairs.

If you do have cover, you can easily claim for damaged or replacement carpets, mats, furniture, and even curtains damaged caused by the leak. Your first stop is to always check whether your home insurance policy has trace & access cover because if it does, you’re bank balance is safe.

What is Trace and Access Cover?

Trace and access is the process of tracing the main source of the water leaks in your home. In most cases, it is easy to determine. For example, you could easily see water damage to the ceiling of rooms. The appearance of mold or parts of the walls and beneath the carpet are also a clear sign of water leaks. You may also experience a strange smell.

Some examples can be difficult to find. If this is the case your best bet is to call in an expert to try to find the source of the water leak. Trace and Access can become a costly endeavour depending on size of your home or property which is why trace and access cover on your home insurance policy is a great shout.

Is Trace and Access Standard in Your Home Insurance Policy?

Many building insurance policies include Trace & Access cover, however it is not always guaranteed. So do not expect it as standard.

If it is included in your insurance policy, you may find that it will only cover certain amounts. If it’s not covered do not bury your head in the sand and wait for the water leak to become more disastrous.

Understanding the ins and outs of your home insurance and whether it covers Trace and Access will only benefit you int he long run. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to cater for an unexpected water leak and the consequences that comes with it such as excessive water bills and repair costs.

What To Do When You Notice a Water Leak?

Once you’ve found the water leak, turning off the main to the water source, immediately. You should know where the stopcock, mains valve, and taps are. The most common places for the stopcock is the basement, below the kitchen sink, or even under the stairs. Alternatively you may find the main water supply stopcock near the water metre which is often located outside.

If the stopcock is too stiff to turn off, you should place a container just below the leak to prevent further damage from water going everywhere. Next, quickly mop the water that has settled near the leak.

If you’ve got home insurance with trace and access included in your policy, contact your insurance provider. There’s usually an emergency number and then they will often contact a professional for you.

If you don’t have cover, you’ll have to contact a professional yourself. Your best bet is a plumber, or even home repairs company, someone who can fix the problem. Most plumbers and Home Service companies that offer trace and access services will likely have an emergency number.

Ignoring water leaks is a terrible idea. You might get away with neglecting smaller pipe leaks or even occasional water drips, but the damage may be become more than you could imagine.

You should always attend to any water flow abnormalities immediately as and when you see them. Other than a large water bill, you can incur serious water leakage problems which can cause health problems.

How to Avoid Excessive Water Damage

Just calling a plumber to fix the leaks in your home, even without telling your insurer may be quick fix. However, you should contact your insurer and let them know what you are facing, just incase the issue escalates.

Your insurer will send someone to take care of the problem. They understand the urgency of the matter and their response is often swift. They are bound by the policy to deal with it, after all it’s what you pay for.

Don’t wait for the problem to escalate to an uncontrollable level before you call them. You will incur huge water bills, and the damage may go beyond the what’s included in the cover.

The easiest solution is ensure your insurance policy has trace & access included. This will cover all the future water leaks or water damage issues in your home.