Your excess

If you need to make a home insurance claim this winter, you'll have to pay an excess.

There's compulsory excess and voluntary excess. Compulsory excess is the set amount of money you have to pay when making a claim.

Voluntary excess is an amount chosen by you which you pay on top of your compulsory excess.

For example, if you have a compulsory excess of £250 and you set your voluntary excess at £150, you'll pay £400 in total if you need to make a claim.

The higher your voluntary excess is, the lower your monthly payments will be. When choosing your voluntary excess, make sure it's a price you can afford if you need to make a claim.

You can find your voluntary excess in your policy schedule, which you can access in MyAccount.

Your compulsory excesses are:

If you're claiming for both buildings and contents, you'll only pay one excess for the claim. This is calculated using the largest excess value from the buildings or contents table above.

How to insulate your home

One of the most reliable ways to keep your home prepped for winter is to insulate your home correctly. It could also save you money.

Fit an insulating jacket

For instance, fitting an insulating jacket over your water tank only costs about £20, but could save you up to £250 a year in energy bills if you live in a flat according to the Energy Saving Trust. If you live in a terraced house, you could save £225.

Insulate your attic and walls

Invest in good loft and wall cavity insulation. You can get some government grants that pay for the installation. By taking these steps you can help prevent damp problems.

Use draught excluders

Stop heat escaping windows, doors and chimneys by sealing gaps with adhesive tape or draught excluders.

Lag your pipes

Insulating your pipes with tubing is known as 'lagging'. It helps prevent freezing pipes.

Bleed your radiators

Air can enter your radiator system and form bubbles, which stops them from working properly. Bleeding your radiators can fix this - watch our video guide below.

Use soft furnishings in your home

Curtains and rugs can help warm your home, preventing heat from escaping through doors and windows.

How to prevent frozen pipes

You can stop your pipes from freezing this winter in a few ways.

Know where your stopcock is

You should always be aware of where your stopcock is in your home: this is where you can turn off your mains water if you need to.

Your pipes are more likely to freeze if your home is left empty - so you should turn off your mains water if you're going to leave your property unoccupied.

Lag your pipes

Lagging means insulating your accessible pipes with tubing. You can often do it yourself at home.

It's best to focus on hot water pipes from your boiler or cylinder for winter.

Check and fix leaks

Drips and leaks from your pipes increase the chance of your pipes freezing, so it's important to keep an eye out for them and fix them immediately.

Bleed your radiators

This will improve the efficiency of your boiler, meaning your pipes are less likely to freeze.

Watch our video guide on how to bleed your radiators below.

Drain your systems

If you're going away for an extended period over winter, drain your systems first.

How to prepare your boiler for winter

You should maintain your boiler all year round so it can withstand any strain in colder months. But in the build-up to winter, here are some things you can do to prepare it.

Read our guide on how to prepare your boiler for winter for more information.

Test your boiler

Run your boiler for 10-15 minutes in the warmer months to maintain it and make sure it's in working order.

Get regular servicing

All boiler manufacturers recommend that you get annual servicing for your boiler to prevent any unexpected issues.

Bleed your radiators

Bleeding radiators release excess air and makes your boiler work more efficiently.

Watch our video guide on how to bleed your radiators below.

Consider getting Home Emergency cover

We have two types of cover available, Home Emergency which is included as standard on Gold and Home Emergency Extra which is included as standard on Platinum. Both can be added to our Admiral policy or you can choose to upgrade to Home Emergency Extra cover on Gold.

Home Emergency cover pays up to £500 for any heating or boiler emergency. It also includes cover for emergencies relating to plumbing, drainage, windows, doors and locks.

Home Emergency Extra cover includes everything Home Emergency Cover does, plus additional cover for roofing, pests and electrical emergencies. It also provides a contribution of £250 if you boiler is deemed beyond economical repair.