Property Damage Tips
The following are some property damage tips & advice that may come in useful to you in the future.
Fire
- Install a smoke alarm in each room of your property.
- Do not overload electrical sockets.
- Keep all electrical cables away from cooker hobs and other heat sources.
- Never refuel or move a gas or oil heater while it is switched on.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended
Water & Flood Damage
- Regularly maintain all wearable parts in bathrooms such as shower/bath seals, grout to tiling etc.
- Insure all water tanks and pipes are properly lagged.
- Leaks from pipes in your floor can cause extensive damage with water travelling throughout the property before being noticed. Have any damage professionally surveyed by PCLA.
- Turn off your water supply if your property will be left vacant for a long period of time.
- Ensure all drains around your property are clear and regularly maintained.
- Soft furnishings, fabric, food and cosmetics will all be damaged by effluent from water. These will need to be professionally cleaned or replaced no matter what condition they appear to be in.
Learn more about flood damage.
Physical Risks
- Maintain trees near your property. These can cause damage during storms and also other issues such as subsidence and cracking to underground services
- Following a flood, people prone or vulnerable to infections should avoid the contaminated areas until clean-up has been completed.
- Check roofs following storms. Many people don’t realise their roof has been damaged until rainwater penetrates at a later date.
Structural Problems
- Within the first ten years of construction buildings typically settle into the ground. If you notice cracking after this or cracks getting wider contact PCLA for advice.
- Trees close to the property can lead to subsidence. If a risk think about having these removed.
- When purchasing a property have a full survey carried out to identify any issues.
Insurance advice
- It’s important to disclose any major changes to your property.
- Always think about taking out accidental damage cover
- Most policies have conditions regarding matching of items with some now offering separate cover for this
- The cheapest insurance policy may not be the best. You can call PCLA for advice when taking out a policy.
- It is your duty to ensure your sum insured is correct. Insurers can apply average to any claim settlement where the sum insured is inadequate
- Most policies have exclusions for unoccupied premises
- Always review your insurance annually.
You can read some of our most frequently asked questions here.
Types of Claims
We offer help and advice for all instances of Commercial or Domestic Property Damage. Learn more about the different types of insurance claims that PCLA can help you with by clicking the links below.
EXCELLENT Based on 245 reviews Aidan McCrossan29/03/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My elderly mother had a water leak recently causing a significant amount of damage, the thought of making a claim and managing that was too much for her. Declan and the team stepped in and fulfilled this role, taking all the stress and work out of it for my mum. We could not be happier with the the service provided both in terms of management and attention to detail with the claim. Aine Moore20/03/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We decided on a loss assesor for helping us deal with leaks in our home & putting it through our house insurance, Declan came highly reccomended to us, he took on the claim and made the process smoother with prompt reply’s & dealing with it all, meaning less stress for us & settled the claim quickly! Highly recommend. AnneMarie McGrade24/01/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Declan was extremely helpful and efficient when sorting my claim - thank you. Robbie Lough20/01/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jordan did a great job dealing with the insurance company after we had a leak in our kitchen. We just handed over the info and he did the rest Marion Matchett19/01/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. While on holiday in September 2024, our water tank burst causing quite a lot of damage to our house. We had been given Jordan Freel's name as an independent assesor, employed by PCLA. From our first point of contact Jordan remained professional, polite, and always contactable. He was very helpful in anyway and helped cut down the stress. Would have no hesitation recommending him to anyone in need of assistance in such matters. gladys steed17/01/2025Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Pleasant and efficient a pleasure to work with Michael Steele09/12/2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Declan was very quick to get in contact and give reassurance. Dealt with things very quickly and organised the on site assessment which was straight forward and dealt with the claim quickly with the insurers to get a agreed claim which was satisfactory Patrick Dornan26/11/2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Highly recommended for those unsure how to deal with insurance company's. Takes your claim out of your hands and deals directly with the insurance company on your behalf. Thorough professional service throughout and took the stress out of my claim with a successful outcome. Thank you Declan. Brian Slattery25/11/2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Made contact with Jordan regarding escape of water in my home, Jordan arrived a few days later to start the claim, Jordan always kept in contact with us with updates, we received a settlement offer that we were more than happy with. By using PCLA and Jordan this took the pressure of communicating direct with our insurance company as it was done for us, I would highly recommend Jordan to look after your claim. Thanks for everything you have done for us Jordan. Rosemary and Brian. James Gibson11/11/2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Declan was excellent in handling our situation. All questions answered and we were kept informed every step of the way. Would highly recommend.