Insurance is the financial answer to damage that has happened – prevention is what makes that answer necessary less often. The two are not rivals: planned prevention is part of the best insurance strategy, because the loss that never happens is the cheapest one – for the funds, for time, for everyone's nerves. This article – the expanded successor of the quick-guide piece – sets out the building's prevention routine, in a form you can tick off.
- Most condominium claims come from four sources: water, the roof, building systems and the human factor – and prevention is built around those same four.
- The essence of the routine is regularity and documentation: the record of the annual walk-round is evidence in a claim and an argument at the renewal.
- Prevention feeds back into the premium too: improving claims statistics strengthen the building's bargaining position.
Water: the number one adversary
Water heads the list because it heads the claims statistics too. The routine: surveying the condition of the risers and planning their replacement (the major investment with the best return), an annual test of the stopcocks (in a claim, seconds depend on them), a pressure test after any refurbishment, inspection of the pipework in the cellar and the loft, water sensors at the critical points – the plant room, the underground garage. The details of water damage cover: the cover article; handling the claim: the practice article.
Roof and façade: the ground of liability
One roof inspection a year – covering, flashings, chimneys, fixings – before the storm season; gutters and downpipes cleared after leaf fall; the façade and the render kept under observation, with particular attention to the strip above the pavement: falling render is not only property damage but a liability risk. In winter: a set procedure for snow and icicles – with a named person responsible. A short written record with photos of every inspection: this is the shield against the maintenance objection.
Building systems and common areas
The maintenance contracts for the lift and the boiler should not merely exist but be documented – cover for building systems typically assumes as much. Periodic inspection of the electrical installation is the foundation of fire prevention. In the common areas: lighting that works (preventing trips and criminal damage in one), locks and entry systems in order, storage rooms kept tidy – in line with the security requirements of the burglary cover.
The human factor: order and awareness
The fourth source is people: the pile of junk in the escape route, the culture of “I'll mention it to someone”, the resident who panics when damage occurs. The antidote is simple, posted rules: what may be kept where, who should be told what, what to do when damage occurs – that is what the process guide and the owner information sheet are for. And the annual rhythm: put the prevention walk-round next to the annual checklist – that way prevention becomes a habit rather than a campaign. The building's claims statistics will repay it within a few years.
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