Escape of Water

The alarming thing with water, is the speed at which it can escape and the extent of damage that can be caused before the leak or burst is detected, particularly if the property is unoccupied at the time.

As a result, insurers are encouraging customers to take measures to reduce potential issues. These can include things such as:

• Regular maintenance
• Lagging pipes
• Making sure temperatures are maintained above freezing levels
• Turning off the water supply whilst properties are unoccupied
• Installing water leak detectors

However, with the national lockdowns and a very long summer, it’s likely that many businesses may not have been turning on heating systems regularly. With this in mind, you should make sure that you are regularly attending to your buildings, to check that no damage is being caused. Remember to make sure that all systems are checked and in working order, before switching anything back on, once you are able to reopen.

Making a claim

To help us to progress any claim that you may need to make, the more information that you can provide in respect of the damage, will assist us in determining the best next steps to take. Our claims team will work with you throughout the process and may ask you to provide photographs of the damage, so that they can assess how severe the problem is and react accordingly. You may also be asked to provide receipts or proof of purchase or even ownership for your damaged items, such as photos, statements or instruction manuals.

Depending on the size and type of claim, there can be different companies that can be used to assist you with your situation. These can include:

• Loss Adjusters
• Alternative trading space providers
• Cleaning companies
• Surveyors/Engineers
• Contents suppliers
• Contractors

Our dedicated claims team will oversee your claim and will make sure that any valid claims payments are made, as well as ensuring that everyone involved is progressing your claim until finalised. Regardless of the size of your claim, you will have a single dedicated claims handler who will manage your claim from start to finish.

The content for this article was kindly provided by the Homecare Association and they would like to thank members, Scott Care, for their help with this article.

Care home insurance from Towergate

To find out about Towergate's care cover, visit our care home insurance webpage, call us on 01438 739739 or email newcare@towergate.co.uk.

About the author

Carolyn Baker-Mellor is a respected industry leader with over 35 years' experience within the care insurance sector. She works across a wide spectrum of insurance product and policy development, delivery and optimisation for care industry clients, including managing global corporate accounts, working closely with trade associations, and helping clients in protecting their businesses and personal assets. Her areas of expertise within the sector include care homes, nurseries, domiciliary care, hospices and charities.

Carolyn currently works at Towergate as Head of Care Insurance. Towergate is the UK’s leading independent insurance broking platform and forms part of the Ardonagh Group, an international network of over 100 offices and 7,000 people which incorporates leading brands in both Lloyd’s of London and global markets.

She previously worked for 10 years at Aon as a director, client services leader and assistant director for claims.