Fall home maintenance for insurance purposes

Every homeowners policy draws the same line. Damage that is sudden and accidental, such as a pipe that bursts, a branch through the roof or a fire in the chimney, is the kind of loss the policy exists to pay. Damage that develops over time, from wear, rot, a slow drip or maintenance the owner put off, is excluded. The adjuster's job after a winter loss is often to decide which side of that line the damage falls on, and the owner's autumn maintenance is the best evidence.

This article treats fall maintenance as insurance work. It explains how the season sets up losses in the low desert of Arizona and Nevada and in the colder parts of Utah, Idaho and northern Arizona, which maintenance items matter most to a claim, how to document them, and how to decide what to fix and what to leave.

What autumn sets up in each climate

In Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas, autumn follows the monsoon. The summer storms may have loosened tiles and shingles, clogged scuppers on flat roofs and cracked stucco around windows, and the winter rains that follow will find each weakness. A leak discovered in February that started with an unreported monsoon lift in August is a hard claim to win.

In Salt Lake City, Boise, Flagstaff, Reno and the mountain towns, autumn is the last chance before freezing. Water left in irrigation lines, hose bibs and exterior plumbing freezes and splits. Gutters full of leaves cause ice dams. Branches that were harmless in summer carry snow onto roofs and power lines. A furnace or wood stove that has not run since spring starts working hard with little warning.

Why maintenance decides the claim

Three policy provisions do most of the work. The wear, tear and deterioration exclusion removes damage that comes from age. The exclusion for continuous or repeated seepage or leakage removes water damage that develops over weeks or months. And the duties after loss require the owner to take reasonable steps to protect the property from further damage. None of these depend on the owner being careless; they depend on the facts, and maintenance records are facts.

Suppose two neighbours each find water damage in a ceiling after a January storm, with repairs estimated at $15,000. The first has a roofer's invoice from October showing the roof inspected and flashing resealed; the adjuster finds a wind-lifted section and pays the claim less the deductible. The second has no record, the roofer finds long-standing rot around a vent, and the carrier pays only for the portion it can tie to the storm, say $3,000, or declines. These figures are hypothetical, but that is how such claims tend to be decided.

The roof, gutters and trees

The roof is the most expensive single item on most policies, and autumn is when to look at it.

• Have the roof inspected after monsoon season in the desert and before snow in the mountains. Ask for a dated written report with photographs.
• Clear gutters, downspouts and flat-roof scuppers so water leaves the roof rather than pooling or backing under shingles.
• In snow country, consider heat cable at eaves that dam repeatedly, and check attic insulation and ventilation, which are the real causes of ice dams.
• Trim branches that overhang the roof or the service line. A healthy tree that falls in a storm is generally a covered loss; a dead tree the owner knew about invites a dispute, and if it falls on a neighbour's house, a liability claim.
• Replace missing or cracked tiles and shingles now. A carrier inspecting at renewal may non-renew for visible roof condition, and a repaired roof is a better conversation than a replaced policy.

Water: irrigation, hose bibs and slow leaks

Water is the most frequent source of home claims, and fall is when to close the paths it takes. In the colder regions, blow out the sprinkler system, drain and cover the backflow preventer, disconnect hoses and shut the interior valves to exterior bibs. In the desert, a hard freeze arrives only a few nights a year, which is why it catches people; know where the main shutoff is and insulate exposed pipes on the north side of the house.

Look for the slow leaks the policy will not pay: a stain under the kitchen sink, a toilet that rocks, a water heater with rust at the base, a washing machine hose with bulges. Replacing a supply line costs little; the damage from one that fails while the owner is away can be large, and whether it is paid depends on whether the failure was sudden. Some carriers offer premium credits for automatic water shutoff devices and leak sensors, and a device that stops a loss at the first sign of water is worth more than the credit.

Suppose a braided hose to a second-floor washer bursts while a family is away for a weekend, and water runs for two days, causing $40,000 of damage. The burst is sudden and the loss is generally covered less the deductible. If a leak sensor with an automatic valve had shut the water off in minutes, the repair might have been, for example, $2,000. The figures are hypothetical.

Heat, fire and smoke

Heating season brings fire risk. Have the furnace serviced and the filter changed. Have a chimney and flue swept and inspected before the first fire, particularly for a wood or pellet stove, and keep the invoice. If a wood stove was installed since the policy started, tell the carrier; an unreported stove found after a fire is the kind of fact that makes a claim harder.

Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries. Clean the dryer vent from the machine to the outside wall, since lint build-up causes house fires. Move firewood away from the house, both for fire safety and because wildfire inspectors in fire-prone areas will note it.

Documenting the work

Maintenance protects a claim only if it can be shown. Keep dated invoices from roofers, plumbers, chimney sweeps and HVAC technicians in one folder, paper or digital. Take date-stamped photographs of the roof, gutters, attic, water heater and exposed plumbing each autumn. Update the home inventory at the same time, walking each room with a phone camera. The whole routine takes an afternoon and produces the file an adjuster will ask for after a winter loss.

What to fix, what to leave and when to call

Not every item needs a contractor. Gutters, hoses, filters, alarms and dryer vents are homeowner jobs. Roofs, chimneys, furnaces and irrigation blowouts are worth paying for because the invoice is part of the value. A roof near the end of its life is a larger decision: replacing it may lower the premium or keep the house with its carrier, and a policy that pays the roof at actual cash value makes an old roof the owner's risk either way.

If the maintenance turns up damage, such as a lifted roof section after a monsoon storm or a cracked pipe, decide whether it is a claim. A small loss close to the deductible is often better repaired privately, keeping the claim history clean. A larger loss with a clear date and cause should be reported promptly. We read the declarations page with you, explain the roof terms, the water exclusions and any available device credits, and compare the policy against the carriers we represent at no cost. If what you have is right, we say so.