As temperatures begin to drop, preparing your home for winter involves more than scheduling HVAC maintenance or bringing outdoor furniture inside. For luxury homeowners, a sudden cold snap can expose vulnerabilities that lead to extensive property damage, costly repairs, and unexpected insurance complications. Taking preventive measures now can help homeowners reduce exposure and identify coverage gaps before winter arrives.
If a frozen pipe bursts in your home, it can cause catastrophic damage. One pipe can release water throughout an entire home, damaging walls, floors, ceilings, furnishings, and valuable belongings. If a frost is coming, disconnect your outdoor hoses, insulate exposed pipes, seal drafts, and maintain adequate indoor temperatures once cold weather approaches. You should be aware of where the main water shutoff valve is so you can respond quickly if a pipe ever does burst.
Unoccupied homes face greater water-damage risks than any other type, especially if leaks go unnoticed for days or weeks while damage gets worse. We recommend keeping the thermostat in secondary homes set to no less than 63°F throughout the winter. While it may be tempting to lower the temperature to 55°F when a property is unoccupied, that setting may not provide adequate protection during an extended cold snap. Smart home systems that can alert homeowners to sudden temperature changes, leaks, or other threats are highly recommended. Most systems these days allow you to monitor homes entirely remotely. It is highly encouraged to have all alerts on, test monitoring equipment, and establish an emergency response plan with local contacts or property managers.
Before the winter even settles in, inspecting your home top to bottom is always a good idea. Inspect roofs, gutters, and drainage systems for issues that could worsen during the winter. Check out all your pipes, plumbing connections, exposed pipes, insulation, etc. It is recommended to schedule a professional heating system inspection to ensure everything is prepared for the cold. Fireplaces and chimneys should be cleaned, and all monitoring systems should be tested.
Preventing damage is only one part of winter preparedness, as understanding your insurance protection as a homeowner is also critical. Before winter begins, it is highly encouraged to review policy limits and coverage for high-value possessions, custom interiors, fine art, and other specialty property. Discussing potential coverage gaps, policy conditions, and any other relevant precautions with your insurance agent is critical.
Proactive maintenance and smart monitoring can help homeowners identify potential issues long before they develop into costly losses. Luxury homeowners are at an even greater risk and require more preventative care. Protecting a property means safeguarding not only the structure itself, but also the valuable possessions, custom finishes, and distinctive features that make it unique. Cross Private Client is here to help homeowners understand their coverage options and evaluate what proactive measures they should consider taking before the winter.
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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.