Tips And Tricks For Water Damage Insurance Coverage

Unfortunately, many homeowners don't take the time to thoroughly read their insurance policy until after catastrophe hits. Broken pipes, flooded basements, and leaking appliances reveal the fine print for water damage situations, and some homeowners are shocked at what they find!

If your water pipes freeze and burst, your insurance company does technically cover the damages. However, if the house was unoccupied at the time of the accident there are some factors that may complicate the process. Did you leave the heat on high enough to prevent the pipes from freezing? If not, the company may claim you neglected the property and therefore, they won't cover water damage or pipe repair.

Swimming pool leaks pose an interesting scenario. If your pool leaks, causing your backyard and basement to flood, your home and the items within it are covered. Your yard, however, probably isn't.

It's laundry day and all of a sudden your washer decides to go on the fritz and dump water all over your basement! Is this covered under insurance? Typically, water damage caused by a washing machine leak is covered under your homeowner's insurance, but not the repair of the machine itself. The company often concludes that the washing machine was not kept in good repair, thus causing the accident. As the homeowner, you are responsible for purchasing any replacement parts and covering the fees for a mechanic to repair the machine.

Child Safety and Preventing Accidents in the Home

The home your provide for your children should be one of the safest places for them to be but shocking statistics show that an average 2,096 children under the age of 14 die each year in the US from a home injury as reported by the US Home Safety Council. So how can we make our homes a safer environment for our children?

Baby-Proofing Your Child's Room

When we buy furniture and accessories for our children's rooms we often choose them on looks first, then quality with safety coming low on our list of priorities however safety should be top of our list.

• All bedding and mattresses should meet current fire standards regulations and this should be clearly marked on the label.

• Ideally corners should be rounded to prevent nasty cuts and bashes but if they are not then you can buy corner guards that simply attach to those sharp corners making them much more child-friendly.

• Check that drawers are fitted with safety mechanisms to prevent little fingers from getting trapped.

• Windows should be fitted with window guards to stop them from being opened too wide and window dressings such as cords should be kept safely out of the way of little hands. Similarly don't hang anything within reach of their cots, including mobiles.

• All electrical cords should also be kept out of reach and wall sockets blocked.

• Furniture should be secure and drawers and bookshelves fastened to the wall. Make sure that there is nothing they cannot reach without having to stand on something.

Have a crawl around their room on your hands and knees. It might look silly but only at this perspective can you get access to the areas they are most likely to explore and spot any potential hazards.