Making your home safer

Callto action for homeowners, says expert.

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You will never sleep if you had to keep thinking about the risks around your home. Someone can break in, or a storm can damage your home or the geyser can burst in the middle of the night. However, you can take a few steps to make your home safer.

Owning a home is a monumental achievement, but, as the world of investment always reminds us, every reward comes with an element of risk, says Marius Kemp, head of personal underwriting at Santam.

"From potential break-ins and accidents to natural disasters, your home faces many different risks."

According to the latest Santam Insurance Barometer report, almost 30% personal lines respondents said they filed a home contents claim in the past 24 months, while 36% said they had claimed for building or geyser issues over the same period.

"In today's fast-paced world, where homeowners juggle so many different responsibilities from day to day, keeping an eye on your home's safety can sometimes fall off your radar. But protecting your home, its contents and the people you live with is not an insurmountable task. All it takes is a few practical steps, a little bit of initiative and vigilance."

Kemp suggests that you take these six steps:

#1: Check your geyser
Burst geysers and faulty plumbing are some of the most common causes of insurance claims. Apart from the cost of replacing an actual burst geyser, the costs from the resultant water damage can be substantial and have the ability to worsen over time, Kemp says.