In the event of a homeowners insurance claim, it’s important to be able to show that your property was being actively maintained before the issue started, otherwise the claim may be denied. Here’s what you need to know about property maintenance and maintaining good records.
Schedule Regular Services and Maintenance
To help prevent problems before they begin, have professional service techs clean and maintain your property in different ways. This includes:
- HVAC service ideally twice a year, but at least once a year
- Yearly termite inspections
- Yearly roof or chimney inspections
- Yearly dryer vent cleaning
- Septic tank inspections and cleanings every three years
Any major function of your home should be serviced or checked on a regular basis. Not only does this prevent costly repairs later, it can also help show that you kept your home well maintained if you need to file an insurance claim.
Keep Good Records
As a homeowner, there are plenty of other smaller maintenance tasks that should be done on your property on a regular basis. You’ll also need to have small repairs made at any given time — a roof leak, a broken pipe, any electrical issues, etc. Whenever you do work around your home or have a professional repair something, keep your receipts. Make sure you can show that you paid a professional or purchased items that help your property stay in good working condition.
Hire Licensed and Insurance Professionals
When you do have work completed around your home — a new roof, a new septic tank, or another major home repair or installation — only hire contractors and professionals who are licensed, bonded, and insured. Not only will they be someone you can call if there’s a problem later, doing so may help your insurance claim later. If a major leak occurs in your home, and the cause is a problem with your roof, you don’t want the “proof” of your maintenance to be someone who had no business repairing or servicing your home in the first place.
Don’t Wait to Make Repairs or Replacements
Waiting until there’s a big hole in your roof to get a new roof could hurt your claim. It’s one thing for a storm to knock a tree limb into your roof — assuming you kept your trees trimmed. It’s another for damage to occur because the roof was 40 years old and badly maintained. The same is true with your HVAC system, plumbing, appliances, and any other part of your home that could cause major damage and lead you to file an insurance claim.
Regularly scheduled maintenance should help you find problems before they get out of control. It should also be an opportunity for a service person to let you know when it’s time to schedule replacements. By having these regular service calls, you can give yourself time to save or plan for a major expense like a new roof, HVAC, etc.
When you file a homeowners insurance claim, you expect to get the help you need. Make sure you help yourself first and keep your home well maintained. Need a new home insurance policy? Have questions about your current coverage? Contact Charlotte Insurance today for help!