Gas heating dilemma.

SuzieSue

Who are your insurers? I have never heard of an insurance company not insisting that either the heating is left on and that the property is visited every few days or that the whole system is drained.

It would be easier to just leave the heating on low (say 10 degrees), but what happens if your boiler breaks down? You really needs someone who will pop round if the temperature goes below freezing just to check that the boiler is still working.

bob_a_builder

Usually anything longer than 30 days absence and normal house insurers wont touch it
So have to go with un-occupied insurers and they do have very rigid rules about what you can and can't do, and insist on records of regular inspections etc

getmore4less

Direct line 60 days.

Robin9

I would leave it on low otherwise you will be coming home to a house where everything is damp and chilly.

Arrange for the neighbours to look in and clear the post and papers left in the letter box. Then they can turn the heating up and leave you some milk and groceries for when you come home .

bris

EssexExile wrote: »

Usually much longer than two weeks but definitely less than 3 months!

Not usually no, as a Landlord I must take out extra cover if the property is going to be empty more than two weeks.

harz99

bob_a_builder wrote: »

Usually anything longer than 30 days absence and normal house insurers wont touch it
So have to go with un-occupied insurers and they do have very rigid rules about what you can and can't do, and insist on records of regular inspections etc

getmore4less wrote: »

Direct line 60 days.

bris wrote: »

Not usually no, as a Landlord I must take out extra cover if the property is going to be empty more than two weeks.

RSA Clearchoice who do not require notification unless away more than 60 days, and the club I buy through has an agreed documented extension to 120 days to this policy term.


There are no written requirements in the policy to do anything. I imagine that beyond the 60/120 days they would simply advise they will not insure as the likes of Saga do.

harz99

SuzieSue wrote: »

Who are your insurers? I have never heard of an insurance company not insisting that either the heating is left on and that the property is visited every few days or that the whole system is drained.

It would be easier to just leave the heating on low (say 10 degrees), but what happens if your boiler breaks down? You really needs someone who will pop round if the temperature goes below freezing just to check that the boiler is still working.

Robin9 wrote: »

I would leave it on low otherwise you will be coming home to a house where everything is damp and chilly.

Arrange for the neighbours to look in and clear the post and papers left in the letter box. Then they can turn the heating up and leave you some milk and groceries for when you come home .

Unfortunately we live on a new build estate and don't know any of the neighbours well enough to trust them with keys to the house, neither do we have family nearby as they are the ones we are going to visit.

harz99

Thanks to everyone who replied, a few more thoughts required.


Any plumbers or heating engineers out there who could give a view on post#1 rather than insurance issues, please?


If not Merry Christmas to you all.

knightstyle

We have been in very similar circumstances, for short, up to 3 months we leave the heating on at about 3degrees. For longer we have drained down in winter and just left heating off in summer.
Turn water off at stop !!!! and get a neighbour to pop in from time to time.

Gloomendoom

harz99 wrote: »

Thanks to everyone who replied, a few more thoughts required.


Any plumbers or heating engineers out there who could give a view on post#1 rather than insurance issues, please?


If not Merry Christmas to you all.

Have you considered getting a Hive or similar installed? We have one and when we go to Australia, we leave it on the frost protect setting (7 degrees). It also allows me to monitor the temperature of the house remotely and switch the heating on a couple of days before we return to make sure we arrive home to a warm house.

It's been installed five or six years now and we haven't had any problems, despite being away during some very cold weather.