Your home is one of the most valuable property you’ll ever own. This is why some homeowners take time to prepare for any worst-case scenario that may cause damage to their homes. Many of them also invest in a home insurance policy to help them financially cover the expenses for any future repairs or replacements.
The most effective way for you to be prepared and prevent any home damage or loss is by being well-informed. Knowing about the common reasons for home damages will help you and your household avoid these scenarios and be well-equipped in case they still happen.
For your guide, here are the six common reasons that your home can become damaged.
Water
Water damage can be classified into two: nonweather–related water damage and weather-related water damage. This article discusses the major differences between the two, as well as your insurance options if you’re looking for coverage for either or both types.
- Nonweather-related water damage pertains to domestic accidents inside your house, such as leaks, broken pipes, plumbing problems, or failure of your washing machines and dishwashers. These minor problems can quickly cause massive damages to your home if not fixed as soon as they’re discovered.
Homeowners need to perform regular inspections with their pipelines, plumbing and check their appliances if their rubber hose is still functional or if it needs replacement. It’s also recommended to turn off your main water valve, especially when you’re out of town and no one is left in your home, to prevent accidents.
- Weather-related water damage happens due to a natural phenomenon like heavy rain and flooding. When there’s heavy rain, and your home isn’t equipped to handle it, you’re more likely to experience flooding inside your home. This is especially true, if you live in low-ground areas. If your roof has missing or loose shingles, you may experience water leaks in your ceiling, causing water to get into your homes.
To prevent such damages, keep your gutters clean, regularly inspect your roof, and get any problems checked out by a professional right away.
Wind
The most common cause of home damage is wind. Wind cannot directly damage your home through its strong blows. Instead, a powerful wind can cause streetlight posts or large old trees to be uprooted and hit the side of your house or fall directly into your roof.
Take a look in your outdoor area and see if you’re surrounded by old trees or any objects that can easily fly into your doors and windows in the event that strong winds may occur. You can take precautions by keeping those trees pruned and strengthening the foundation of your house. If you have any items placed outdoors, keep them indoors when there’s an extremely strong wind.
Hail
Hail is a type of water precipitation. It is formed when water droplets freeze in the cold thunderstorm clouds. It produces small pieces of ice called hailstones. The damage it can cause will depend on the severity of the hailstorm when it hits your area. Like any other natural disaster, hail is not something that you can avoid, but its damages can be prevented.
When there are hailstorms, avoid parking your car outdoors, and make sure your roofing system can endure any number of solid hailstones. You can strengthen your roof by installing materials that are made to withstand these disasters.
Fire
Damages caused by a fire are the costliest that you can experience. However, fires don’t occur as often as the other incidents mentioned above. Multiple reasons can cause a fire. It can either be started by kitchen incidents during cooking, circuit shortage, faulty wiring, or over usage of electrical equipment.
As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to implement strict safety precautions when handling electrical equipment in your household to prevent such costly and deadly damage. Keep those flammable liquids out of your children’s reach, and store them in a safe place.
Theft and Burglary
When no one is left in your house while you’re all out, thieves may take an interest in breaking through your house and stealing valuable items. This means they’ll have to break your windows or doors to get inside illegally.
Anyone can be a victim of burglary, but you can take precautions to deter such criminal minds. Whatever you put around your house matters, as it can either attract or discourage thieves from seeing you as a vulnerable target.
Create a plan for theft prevention, such as adding outdoor lighting, installing alarm systems, using motion sensor lights, and of course, keeping your windows and doors locked at all times.
Pest Infestation
Pests can wreak damage on manmade structures. Even common pests like beetles or rodents can surprisingly quickly damage your home. The damages to a house that pest infestation causes can be categorized into two: structural damage and electrical damage.
Wood is still the main building material used in homes. Carpenter bees, ants, emerald ash borers, longhorned beetles, and termites all burrow through and/or feed on wood. When these pests eat through wood, the structural integrity of the material is affected, making it ineffective. It will be exposed to the possibility of cracking or collapsing as a result.
While it’s true that it will take time for wood-boring pests to dramatically damage your house, you still have to take even minor structural damage seriously. Aside from being very dangerous in the long run, even minor damage to your home’s foundation or framework might negatively impact your property’s resale value and can be expensive to repair.
As for electrical damage, it can be caused by rodent infestation in your house. One of this type of infestation’s telltale signs is tiny bite marks on different household items. What’s alarming is the fact that mice and rats love chewing on wires more compared to fabric, wood, furniture, carpeting, and almost anything else you have at home. Repeated biting and chewing on electrical cables wear them down. If they keep coming back to electrical cords, the rodents could expose the internal wiring, creating a major fire hazard.
Bottom line
No one can control disasters from descending into your home. But proper awareness can help you prepare your home and make it more durable and resistant to whatever damages may occur. In case your home gets damaged, take note of the reasons and factors that contributed to the incident so you can fix these problems and ensure they never ruin your home again.
