Frozen pipes and winter property protection

Why it matters

Most policies exclude escape of water in an unoccupied property where heating and drain down conditions were not met.

Legal requirements

• Landlords must keep water and heating installations in repair.
• Insurance conditions on unoccupied periods form part of your contract and must be met.
• A property left without heat that causes damage to a neighbouring flat can create liability.
• Tenants have a duty to take reasonable care, including reporting faults promptly.

Common mistakes

• Switching the heating off entirely during a void.
• Not knowing where the stopcock is or whether it turns.
• Leaving loft pipework and tanks uninsulated while insulating the loft floor.
• Missing the unoccupancy limit in the policy, often thirty or forty five days.

Practical guidance

• Set voids to a background temperature rather than off, or drain the system down.
• Insulate loft pipework, tanks and any external runs.
• Show tenants the stopcock at check in and mark it clearly.
• Diarise the policy unoccupancy limit whenever a property falls empty.

Void season checklist

Before a winter void, service the boiler, set a frost protection temperature, insulate exposed pipework, clear gutters so overflow does not saturate walls, and arrange weekly inspections if your policy requires them. Record each inspection with a dated photograph. If the void will exceed the policy limit, either drain down properly or notify your insurer and accept the amended terms.

What to tell tenants

A short winter note works: keep the heating on low when away, leave the loft hatch ajar during a hard freeze, report any loss of heating the same day, and here is where the stopcock is. Tenants generally act on clear practical advice, and one avoided burst pays for a decade of sending the note.