When you are away from home, do you have someone that can check your house or that takes care of things for you? 

During winter, it is even more important to have someone that goes into your home to make sure the heat is working, that pipes won’t freeze and that everything is being maintained. 

There is no coverage for loss or damage to water losses caused by freezing. This is for any part of a plumbing, heating, sprinkler or air conditioning system or domestic water container unless it is within a portion of the dwelling that is heated during the usual heating season. This applies if the insured has been away for more than 4 consecutive days. 

If the insured is away for more than 4 consecutive days during the usual heating season, there is no coverage unless the insured is able to show that: 

• Arrangements had been made for a competent person to enter the dwelling daily to ensure that heating was being maintained; or 
• The water supply had been shut off and all pipes and appliances are drained 

It is important that when you are getting someone to check on your house while you are away, that you make sure they are competent. They also need to physically enter your home daily to make sure everything is ok. This is often the more convenient option than draining all the pipes and appliances, as that is a lot of work. 

I know these are conditions to the exclusions, but it also gives the homeowner peace of mind that things are good when they are away. No one wants to come back home to damage or to find that something went wrong. So, something to think about – do you have someone that has your back when you are away?