Fire Claims

It’s that time of year, again. Expect explosions outside your bedroom window and rockets whizzing over your head, on 5th November there are firework parties all across Britain. However, if you are not careful, you’ll be remembering Guy Fawkes or “Bonfire” night for all the wrong reasons.

Behind the blazing bonfires and airborne pyrotechnics lie many serious risks. Not only to yourself, your neighbours or your pets but also to your home. A single rogue firework can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to your home. Smashing glass, breaking tiles and even starting fires. 

Damage caused by a fire is one of the most expensive property insurance claims. With the UK paying out £1.3 billion in insurance claims in 2018. Those not insured against this kind of damage, find themselves having to foot the bill for costly repairs to their home. 

Knowing how to reduce the risk of fire in your home is important. A fire claim on your home insurance will see your premiums rise. So you’ll want to take as many precautions as possible. As a homeowner, there are a number of things that you can do to reduce the risk of fire damage to your property.

Fire Safety Precautions

Fire safety equipment is a must for every home. Make sure that your smoke alarms are tested regularly to ensure that they are working properly. It is also important to make sure that your smoke alarms are installed in the correct places and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

There are also small fire extinguishers available to purchase for your home. There are different types of fire extinguisher and none of them is totally effective on every kind of fire. So before making a purchase, it is important to consider what type of fire it would most likely need to be used on.

It might sound excessive, but it’s important that you have a fire escape plan and that all of the occupants of your home are aware of the plan. Determine suitable fire exits and ensure that they are easy to access at all times.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service offer free home visits to any Essex resident. If you do not have working smoke alarms, or have working smoke alarms but would like more information about how to reduce the risk of fire in your home.

What to Do if a Fire Breaks Out

If a fire does break out on your property then the first thing to do is to leave the property and phone the emergency services. Do not put yourself at risk by attempting to tackle the fire yourself. Wait until the fire service has told you that it is safe to return to your property.

Contact your insurance agent as soon as possible. Keep your home insurance policy in a safe place, with any emergency phone numbers so that you can expedite any fire claims process. Your insurer will be able to give you advice on what will happen moving forward.

You should also take some steps to protect your property from any further damage by covering any damage to the roof or walls and keep your home safe from the elements and moving any of your personal belongings to safety. If necessary, it is fine to arrange emergency repairs to stop further damage to your home. Just make sure that you keep receipts for the work and tell your insurer.

Fire Claims on Home Insurance

Most home insurance policies will usually payout for damage caused by fireworks not set-off on the property, so your home should be protected against a rocket crashing into your kitchen or a fire starting on your property due to sparks from a neighbours bonfire. However, we recommend that check all of your policy, including buildings and contents insurance to ensure what level of cover you have. Especially to see if damage to garden furniture such as sheds is included.  

At Ashburnham Insurance understand that you cannot afford to spend hours searching online for cheap home insurance which is why we provide access to a range of policies from various well-known insurers instantly online. Call us for free on 0800 1696137.

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