Find out all you need to know about preparing for winter:
Start getting winter ready by with bringing loose garden items inside and securing them.
If you have trees in your garden, trim them before bad weather hits.
You should also check:
We recommend putting together an emergency kit to make sure you have everything you need during a power cut. It should contain:
We also recommend checking your boiler, and for extra protection, consider adding Boiler and Home Emergency cover to your existing home insurance policy.
Efficient loft and wall cavity insulation are key to creating an insulated home.
Insulation doesn't have to be an expense; several government grants that pay for the installation. Check with your local council.
Prevent heat from escaping through windows and doors by sealing gaps with adhesive tape and using draught excluders on doors.
Maintain and service gas fires and solid fuel burners properly. Letterbox brushes, chimney balloons and keyhole coverings can make a real difference too.
Insulating the top and sides of your water tank with sheets or a jacket filled with glass fibre matting will save you energy and money.
Insulating your pipes with tubing is known as “lagging” saves heat, and you can fit it yourself.
Lagging pipes also helps prevent freezing pipes. Focus on hot water pipes from your boiler or cylinder.
If you haven’t turned your heating on for a while, air can enter the system and form bubbles at the top of your radiators, which stops them from working efficiently.
Bleeding radiators help them work better which can save you money on your heating bills.
We recommend getting an up-to-date thermostat to help keep your home warm. Outdated or old thermostats are less reliable and increase your home's heating and cooling expenses
Many modern thermostats have features to make your heating more efficient and allow you to turn the heating on or off while you’re away from home.
Hanging curtains and laying rugs on hard floors can warm your home because the thick material prevents heat from escaping through windows and doors.
You should also open your curtains during the daytime to naturally warm your property.
If your boiler won't work, it might be caused by a frozen condensate pipe. The condensate pipe transports the condensation from your boiler to the drain outside. It’s usually plastic.
There are a few clear signs it’s frozen:
Try these steps to defrost your condensate pipe before calling anyone:
Call your home emergency cover provider if you’re struggling. If you don’t have this cover, call a plumber.
Learn more about frozen pipes in our article how extreme weather affects your home.
Most home insurance policies feature trace and access cover, especially buildings insurance. It works well in winter as it sources a leak and exposes it for repair, which reduces the chances of pipes freezing.
Read more about how trace and access cover helps you in wintertime.
Lightning often strikes TV aerials and satellite dishes, which damages anything connected to them such as:
Unplug your electronics in a storm or invest in a surge protector, which extension leads often include.
Find out more about what to do during a storm and what to check afterwards on our storm weather hub.
When it’s safe to do so, stand back to check your roof and note if there are any visible problems like missing tiles or damaged flashing (the flat, thin pieces of metal).
From the inside of your loft, check whether the roof is sagging, if you can see light from outside or any patches of dampness.
Check your greenhouse, conservatory or outhouse glass.
Strong winds could have caused branches to bang against windows and cause cracks, while heavy rain may have leaked through, highlighting weak spots.
Learn more about looking after your garden shed.
Look around for any damage, like broken furniture. Make a note of it and clear out any debris if it’s safe to do so.
Investigate any trees for loose branches or exposed roots, too. We can’t cover you if an already-damaged tree causes problems.
We’ve have a separate guide on gardens and home insurance.
Loose tiles or debris from the roof could slip into the and cause a blockage. It's important you clear any guttering after snow has hit.
Any moss or leaves in your guttering will be prone to freezing, so clear them out. Get rid of anything that can weigh down your guttering and block or crack the pipes.
We have a four-step guide to gutter clearing.
Many home insurance policies (including ours) excludes cover for fences, gates or hedges but may be able to help with cover for boundary walls blown down by stormy weather.
Once the flood waters have subsided and it’s safe to return home, open your windows and air out your property if it's safe to do so
Check out our flood guide for a full list of what you'll need to do.
Claiming on your home insurance takes a few steps. If you’re an Admiral customer you should: