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Advice and FAQs

Risk management for listed properties

Owning a listed building comes with unique challenges and responsibilities. A number of factors such as fire, severe weather, theft and water damage can affect your property. However, with effective risk management you can reduce the likelihood of making a claim on your home insurance.

To help you better grasp the most common threats to listed properties, we’ve created this infographic that highlights key risks and their potential impact. From fire hazards to weather-related damage, this visual guide offers a quick snapshot of what to watch out for, and how proactive measures can make all the difference.

Storm Damage

Fire

Theft

Escape of Water

Please select a threat to your property

Storm Damage

Storm damage to listed buildings can cause significant structural issues, water infiltration, and damage to original materials. Prompt repairs are essential to prevent further deterioration and preserve the building's historical integrity.

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Fire

Fire in listed buildings can cause devastating damage to irreplaceable architectural features, resulting in expensive restoration and irreversible loss of heritage. Inadequate fire detection or outdated systems may delay response times, allowing flames and smoke to spread unnoticed and worsen the impact.

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Theft

Theft from listed buildings can result in the loss of irreplaceable items and damage to original features. Enhanced security measures and prompt reporting are crucial to protect these valuable assets.

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Escape of Water

Escape of water in listed buildings can cause severe damage to original features, leading to costly repairs and potential loss of heritage. Hidden leaks can go unnoticed, exacerbating the problem.

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Storm Damage

How to minimise the risk of storm damage to your listed building

Regular maintenance: Ensure roofs, gutters, downpipes and gulleys are regularly inspected and free of leaves and debris. This will help prevent water ingress and potential structural damage.
Tree maintenance: As well as the obvious damage that fallen branches or trees can cause, gutters and drains can get blocked very quickly by falling fruit, leaves and twigs. This causes an overflow of water which can cause damp.

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Theft

How to minimise the risk of theft from your listed building

Perimeter security: Your home security needs to start at the boundary of your property to make it as challenging as possible for a burglar to get inside your home, garage, shed, or any outbuildings. Start by assessing the entry points to your land – where can people get in and how can you make it harder for them?
Physical security: Ensure doors and window locks are operational and alarms are set when your house is left unattended. If you have a home safe, ensure it is professionally installed.
Neighbourhood watch: Engage with local community watch programmes to increase surveillance and reporting of suspicious activities.

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Escape of water

How to minimise the risk of escape of water in your listed building

Fit a water leak detector, preferably with automatic shut-off if a leak is detected.
Insulate your pipes in the attic space, outside taps and in garages, as well as external pipes.
If you have a condensing boiler, ensure that the condensation pipe (that takes the waste water from the boiler) is properly insulated. If it freezes, the boiler will stop working.
Fix dripping taps and showers. Small leaks can become larger problems later.
Ensure the heating is kept on over winter, especially if you are away. If you’re away for an extended period of time, consider turning off the water at the stopcock.

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Fire safety

How to minimise the risk of fire in your listed building

Check your smoke detectors have a kite mark if and test them regularly.
We would recommend that you have dry powder fire extinguisher to help clear a path out of the home in the event of a fire.
Charge e-scooters and bikes outside of the home to prevent a lithium battery fire. For more advice on lithium battery fires read our article.
We recommend, and some insurers may require, an electrical inspection every 5 to 10 years. Check your policy wording and if you’re unsure contact a specialist broker like Abode.

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Risk Management

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Abode is a trading name of Howden UK Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 307663. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 02831010. Registered Office: One Creechurch Place, London, EC3A 5AF. Calls may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes.