Regular Home Maintenance Ensures Insurance Payouts for Water Damage

July 22 - One of the biggest mistakes made by South African homeowners is not maintaining their homes properly throughout the year. Sometimes, due to neglect, a wall will collapse or a geyser will burst, leading the homeowner to make a claim for damages.

This is when they learn the hard way that failure to maintain their home could be the basis for the insurance company to reject claims for water damage.

"Homeowners often confuse damage arising gradually over time from poor maintenance with once off and unforeseen catastrophic events like exceptional storms, snow or freak floods," said the Managing Director of Alexander Forbes Insurance, Gari Dombo.

He said that from an insurance perspective, the onus usually falls on the homeowner to regularly maintain homes and check for leakages or water accumulation "so that if water related damage occurs it cannot be attributed to lack of maintenance and can be genuinely classes as unforeseen," he said.

What can be done to ensure insurance payouts?

Gari Dombo said that there are a number of things that South African homeowners can do keep their homes water tight and ensure that they are paid out by their insurance companies.

For example, making sure that water isn't able to seep under a sliding door by ensuring a waterproof lip is an important element.

Cracks and leaks should not be ignored, and a handyman from a reputable company should be contacted to fix these problems when they are still small. "They may cause major damages to a home and its contents if ignored," said Dombo.

Homeowners who go on holiday should make sure that they turn off their main water supply, because a leak while they are away can cause major damage.

Geysers should also be checked from time to time. "When you get the plumber in for routine maintenance, get him to give your geyser a once over," said Dombo. "It may prevent a lot of damage and expense in the long run."