When it comes to making a home insurance claim, many people think about large-scale events such as lightning strikes, broken tree branches crashing through the roof, and home break-ins. However, there are many common and seemingly innocent things that you do around the house that could be increasing your likelihood of suffering a problem that leads to a home insurance claim. Your insurance provider is there for you to helpfully guide you through the process of making a claim, but you’d probably rather avoid ever having to reach this point. Here are some risky things that you may be doing that you should try to avoid.
Burning Candles
While it’s true that you can burn candles for years without any negative incidents, the reality is that a simple oversight can quickly create a fire in your home that warrants an insurance claim. You can’t go wrong with keeping candles out of your house, but if you insist on burning them, you should only do so if you don’t have children or pets in the home. Children and pets can easily bump into lit candles and cause a fire before you have time to react. Additionally, you should never leave the room when a candle is lit.
Ignoring The Dryer Vent
It’s easy for your mind to be on autopilot mode when you’re doing the mundane task of laundry, but you can’t let your guard down where the dryer vent is concerned. Unless you’re cleaning the lint trap with each use of this appliance and using a brush to remove built-up lint from the dryer vent at regular intervals throughout the year, your use of the dryer could lead to a fire in the home — and the need to make an insurance claim. If you’re uncertain about cleaning the dryer vent, hire an HVAC contractor to do the job thoroughly for you; he or she can also tell you, based on how dirty the vent is, how often you’ll need to get this job done.
Leaving The Barbecue Unattended
It’s common behavior to light the barbecue, put food on the grill to cook, and then return to the kitchen to prepare a meal. However, leaving the barbecue unattended is a risky sort of behavior that could quickly lead to a fire. If the grill is coated with old food, for example, or you’re cooking something greasy, there can easily be a flare-up of flames that could spread to the walls of your home. You should always remain at the barbecue when it’s in use.
Burning Candles
While it’s true that you can burn candles for years without any negative incidents, the reality is that a simple oversight can quickly create a fire in your home that warrants an insurance claim. You can’t go wrong with keeping candles out of your house, but if you insist on burning them, you should only do so if you don’t have children or pets in the home. Children and pets can easily bump into lit candles and cause a fire before you have time to react. Additionally, you should never leave the room when a candle is lit.
Ignoring The Dryer Vent
It’s easy for your mind to be on autopilot mode when you’re doing the mundane task of laundry, but you can’t let your guard down where the dryer vent is concerned. Unless you’re cleaning the lint trap with each use of this appliance and using a brush to remove built-up lint from the dryer vent at regular intervals throughout the year, your use of the dryer could lead to a fire in the home — and the need to make an insurance claim. If you’re uncertain about cleaning the dryer vent, hire an HVAC contractor to do the job thoroughly for you; he or she can also tell you, based on how dirty the vent is, how often you’ll need to get this job done.
Leaving The Barbecue Unattended
It’s common behavior to light the barbecue, put food on the grill to cook, and then return to the kitchen to prepare a meal. However, leaving the barbecue unattended is a risky sort of behavior that could quickly lead to a fire. If the grill is coated with old food, for example, or you’re cooking something greasy, there can easily be a flare-up of flames that could spread to the walls of your home. You should always remain at the barbecue when it’s in use.
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