Your home is one of your most prized possessions – the centre of your life. It’s where you spend time with your family, where you rest and relax, and where you make memories. However, lack of preparedness can take it all away. When you finally own a home, you want to protect it against all odds.
If you live in a hot country like Australia where heat waves (extreme heat) can aggravate or may lead to fires in some areas, it helps to understand home and contents insurance features and benefits to help you choose the right provider if you decide to purchase an insurance. Acquiring home and contents insurance may include coverage for the house and its belongings as well as homeowners or renters.
Now ask yourself these questions:
- Is my area susceptible to any natural hazards?
- How often are these hazards likely to happen in my area?
- Which of my assets would be affected?
- To what extent would l be affected financially?
- How can each disaster be predicted or mitigated?
- How would I recover if I did not have insurance?
Install smoke alarms. All Australian homes are required by the law to have at least one working smoke alarm, preferably in the kitchen. However, it’s highly recommended that a smoke alarm is installed in every room. A working fire alarm can increase the chances of surviving a house fire by as much as 60 percent.
- The smoke alarms should be powered by original 9V alkaline batteries and tested monthly to ensure efficiency.
- Take note of AS3786 marking in the product, which ensures that the smoke alarm met Australian standards.
- You should replace devices every 10 years.
Strapped ‘em up. For earthquake disaster, check that your house is well-fixed to its foundations, and if not, it’s better to call a home inspector and have everything checked as soon as possible. The following tips can be done DIY style:
- Use non-slip mats for squat, heavy objects to protect them from vibrations and breaking.
- For light pictures, put hooks closed after hanging pictures or mirrors. Heavier ones need two or three-nail picture hooks.
- Tall furniture can be fasted in place by using steel brackets and drilling the furniture to the wall. You can keep the brackets hidden by attaching them as two upsides down “Ls.”
- Use restraint straps on big electronics like TVs and kitchen appliances like refrigerators.
- You can learn more about earthquake preparedness here.
Staying flood safe. Victoria, for instance, has a long history of flooding, which have been costing Victorians more than $460 million yearly. Follow the tips below to prepare and protect your family/home from floods.
- Shut off the home’s main breaker to avoid electric shocks.
- Put all electronic items and furniture to a higher position, preferably in the second or upper floors of your home.
- Place emergency essentials in the attic instead of the basement, which will become inaccessible during floods.
- Slope away soil from your home’s foundation.
- Clean down sprouts and eavestroughs in the fall or spring.
- Fill any hole or cracks in the foundation through cracked foundation repair and fill these with vinyl concrete patching. You may hire a concrete pumping service for this task.
- Call in a sewer line cleaner to fix the sewer back-up threat immediately. On the other hand, those who have a septic system may hire a septic tank services company to prevent any problems during and after any extreme weather occurrence.
End Note
Because natural disasters can happen at any time, you have to ensure that your home and the entire family is prepared for it. You can learn about home and contents insurance features and benefits online as well as begin shopping immediately upon reviewing your options. Following a natural disaster, the insurer can pay claims to policyholders who are affected, allowing you to rebuild quickly.
