Looking after your home in winter

Here are a few simple tips for our UK customers to help avoid unnecessary problems over the winter months:

• Make sure you know where your stopcock is, just in case you need to turn your water off
• Fix any dripping taps (this will stop the water freezing which can cause the pipes to burst)
• Check you've got thick loft insulation
• Lag any pipes and tanks with insulation material before winter starts
• Get your boiler serviced if it's due
• Make sure your roof is watertight and fix any loose tiles
• Repair crumbling brickwork to prevent water getting into gaps and freezing, as this could cause cracks
• Clean your gutters and flush them through
• Check any wooden door frames and windows, repairing or repainting them where necessary
• If you go away, leave your heating on a low setting
• Ask a friend or relative to pop in each day while you're away

If the worst does happen and a pipe bursts:

• Turn off the mains stopcock and turn on all your cold water taps
• Switch your central heating off
• Move or protect anything that might suffer water damage
• If the pipe has frozen, thaw it with a hot water bottle or hair dryer - never use a blow torch, heat gun, cigarette lighter or matches

To make a home insurance claim, call us free anytime on 0800 012 345 or 0800 555 333.