Many homeowners mistakenly think that they are insured for loss of heating oil, boiler repairs, tank replacements and the high cost of heating oil leaks. This is not always the case. Check your policy today.
A good home insurance policy allows you to sleep easy, knowing that if the unthinkable happens, there will be protection from the impact. Home insurance provides protection against theft, damage by fire or water and against accidents which might happen to visitors to your home. Mortgage companies and banks recognise the importance of a home insurance policy and indeed, it is a requirement of all loan providers that you have adequate insurance on the property. But are you really insured for all eventualities? It is often a shock for homeowners to learn that the standard insurance policy does not include cover for repairs, accidents or replacements of their heating oil tank, the boiler or the loss of the heating oil itself. Unfortunately, this revelation often comes immediately following an accident of theft. A costly and difficult time. Insurance cover would undoubtedly ease the situation.
At Enviroleak, we are the first port of call in times of oil-heating spills and we definitely advise checking your policy to ensure that your home insurance covers all eventualities around the home heating oil tanks and the environmental fallout in the event of a leak or mishap. Whether you own or live in a property with a domestic oil tank, you should always check that you have adequate home insurance to cover assessment and clean-up of a leak, and any effects of the leak on the land or ground.
Oil tank and boiler insurance cover
If your policy does not cover the costs associated with a leaking heating oil tank, a broken boiler, or the theft of your kerosene, then it is time to renegotiate. The environmental damage caused by oil leaks may not only impact your property but may cause damage to neighbouring properties. Enviroleak specialises in the clean-up of home heating oil leaks and our expert team can assist in all the practical aspects of dealing with an accident, from start to finish. The boiler may also be include in your policy. The insurer will confirm if reasonable damage to the boiler may be covered by the policy. Of course, if you have a 20yr old, rusted workhorse of a boiler, you are unlikely to find an insurance company to provide cover for it, but with a relatively new boiler, there can be the assurance of a policy should it need replacement.
Oil theft
Fuel oil tanks are often seen as rich pickings for thieves. The stealing of kerosene seems to be a consistent problem all across the country. There are some steps which you can take, to make the theft more difficult, and these include locking the tank, installing security systems and simply placing the tank in view near to your home. The theft of oil is an expensive and depressing issue for homeowners. The loss of the fuel is often accompanied by the loss of the tank as some unscrupulous people drill into tanks to access the fuel. This renders the tank useless to its owner when the kerosene has been stolen. (see calorgas.ie) The cost of new oil tank along with the replacement of the fuel is a difficult financial blow for any household. If your home insurance can come to the rescue at this time, the effects will be greatly lessened.
Upgrade your policy
If you are unsure whether your home insurance policy provides cover for these important items, oil tank maintenance, a replacement boiler, and the aftermath of an oil spill, then contact your insurance broker or company directly and request an addition to your existing policy.
If you have been unfortunate enough to experience an oil spill, act fast and contact us here at Enviroleak so that we may take steps to minimise the damage immediately and advise on the subsequent actions needed regarding insurance claims and replacement tanks.
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