How to manage the risks of your historic or listed home

By Julie Talbot Insurance Advisor

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Living in a historic home is a true joy. Whether your home is listed or non-listed, you’ll have a real appreciation for its charm and character, including the individual quirks and unusual features that a modern house simply cannot equal.

But the very age of your home means you have to take greater care of it. From the traditional materials it’s made from, to the historical building techniques used in its construction, an older building is more prone to issues such as damp – as well as damage from risks like fire and water leaks. Regular maintenance and risk management is key.

Here, we take a look at:

How and why historic homes are more vulnerable
Ways you can help protect your historic home now and in the future
The steps you can take to benefit your home insurance.

Why are older homes at higher risk?

Over the centuries, both building materials and methods evolved as the art of construction developed, fashions changed and understanding grew of new ways to build. This means the historic and listed homes that remain today are built in a variety of ways from a range of materials – many of which are not used in modern construction, in part due to their vulnerability to harm. For example, wattle and daub, lathe and plaster, timber, mud, cob and thatch are all traditional methods that can be more prone to damage than standard brick and cement.

Plus the very fact your home is an older property could mean there’s been a litany of changes made over its lifetime and potentially a backlog of repairs that could take time to tackle. You may face longer lead-times and higher costs to repair parts of older homes, especially when they’re listed, as you need to match the specialist building materials to maintain your home’s integrity. The skills needed to carry out repairs are also less common and therefore in higher demand, so preventing issues occurring in the first place is the most sensible option for owners of historic homes.

What risks should I be aware of?

While all buildings pose a certain fire risk, older building materials are simply more flammable. Thatch, for example, looks beautiful but is undeniably a higher fire risk than a tiled roof.

Older properties are also more likely to have open fires or woodburning stoves as a source of heating, which comes with the risk of a chimney fire if not properly maintained. What’s more, the wiring may have been installed a long time ago, which could pose a higher risk of an electrical fire.

Again, due to their age, historic homes don’t have the same waterproofing measures that modern houses do, such as damp-proof membranes or waterproof coatings. This means water can penetrate the building more easily, causing damp problems and mould growth.

Older homes are designed to breathe. The installation of modern insulating measures, such as double-glazed windows and doors, can also trap moisture into the building and lead to condensation and damp – while wooden beams will start to rot if exposed to prolonged damp, attracting infestations from insects like beetles. Over time, this can cause serious structural problems.

Older building materials are less resilient when it comes to water damage in general, and a slow leak can wreak havoc in a traditional building. Your home’s plumbing and drainage may be tired and less effective – increasing the chance of a leak. From misaligned guttering to blocked drains, water damage can start small and spread quickly.

Historical homes can be more vulnerable to break-ins, especially listed homes where the original single glazing windows and doors are generally preserved. Doors and windows may come with non-standard locks too, which could make them easier to break into – all of which needs to be taken into account if you own valuables, such as jewellery, watches, fine art or antiques.

Doesn’t my home insurance cover me?

Naturally, your home insurance will offer some protection for the risks associated with your house – but it’s important to note that historic and listed properties need specialist insurance that takes into account their non-standard construction, as well as the increased risks of damage and the higher costs of repair and reinstatement. Dedicated listed property insurance providers are able to write cover that’s specially designed for the unique risks of historic and listed homes – you can find out more about listed property insurance in our guide.

You will also find that the price of ‘non-standard’ insurance can be a little higher than off-the-shelf policies, but they provide the peace of mind that the specific risks your home faces are properly covered – which is incredibly important.

In addition, your insurance provider may require you to take certain steps throughout the year to keep the risk of incident lower. For example, if you live in a thatched home, you may be required to undertake regular chimney sweeps – helping you to stay safe and keep the likelihood of a claim as low as possible. If you don’t follow these stipulations, you may invalidate your policy, which could cause serious problems if a fire broke out.

However, the good news is: by following a risk management routine in your historic home you may be able to keep your insurance premium lower, simply by ensuring your home is in the best condition and kept as secure as possible. Let’s take a look at the checks and actions that you can take to protect your listed home and benefit your insurance.

Maintenance and safety checks to protect your listed home

It doesn’t take much to spark an electrical fire, and the damage they cause can be devastating. In listed homes and older properties, a fire can spread rapidly, especially if your home is made from timber or thatch. While you may have emergency measures such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler heads installed just in case, it’s always best to keep an eye on your electrics through frequent checks of your electrical points and wiring to make sure there are no loose wires, faulty switches or old appliances.

In addition, you should book a professional to service your electrics on a regular basis – and you may need to take this step as part of your insurance agreement.

A chimney fire can be easily started but not so easily stopped – and older chimneys can collect soot and debris more easily. Make sure you have your chimneys professionally swept – at least once a year at the bare minimum, but it’s worth checking to see what your insurer has to say. If you live in a thatched house, you may find you need to sweep your chimneys more often throughout the year to ensure your insurance stays valid.

In addition to regular sweeping, make sure your chimney stacks and pots are well maintained. For example, protect any pots with birdcages to prevent accidents and keep an eye on exposed stacks and parapets for any gaps or cracks that could lead to damp.

It’s a tenet of every home, but especially so in a listed property. Make sure you have functioning smoke detectors installed in every storey of your home, and test them regularly to make sure they’re working. Fires spread fast in older buildings, so you need the extra protection. It’s a good idea to keep fire protection measures like extinguishers and fire blankets in easy-to-reach parts of the property too, such as the kitchen or near an open fire.

Did you know that you can also buy heat monitoring devices, such as stovepipe thermometers for wood burners, that can help alert you to the risk of a fire? This is highly recommended if you live in a thatched property. You can read more about fireproofing in our damage prevention guide.

With water damage a risk to older properties, you can stay ahead of any potential leaks with a specially designed leak detector. These clever devices are easy to install and designed to sit near areas where leaks might occur, for example a sink or washing machine. If the sensors come into contact with water, they can sound an alarm to alert you of the leak – helping to prevent it going unnoticed before the damage is too great.

You can also invest in humidity meters that act as a useful barometer for moisture trapped in your house, which could lead to mould forming.

Any property can be a target for thieves and the historic features of listed homes often make them more vulnerable to a break-in. Deterrence is your best course of action. Think about installing high-standard locks on all windows, doors and access points, and consider a burglar alarm or CCTV – especially if you have valuable belongings you want to protect. If that’s the case, you may find your insurer requires you to keep more precious items in a secure safe.

When you choose to live in a historic home, it’s because you really appreciate what it can bring to your lifestyle – so taking good care of it should be second nature. Plus, maintaining regular visual checks on your home can go a long way to making sure it stays in good condition.

From checking the roof for missing tiles, to making sure no climbing plants are working their way into the fabric of your home, to watching out for exposed timber on window frames and doors, frequent checks of your home can make all the difference between a quick fix and an expensive problem – helping you enjoy life to the full in your beautiful historical home. You can find a handy checklist on our website.

Talk to us about listed property insurance

At Abode, we take great pride in protecting historic and listed homes. Our team are full of knowledge and expertise on the types of cover an older property needs, and take a real interest in the history and fabric of your home.

We’re also able to advise you further on the steps you can take to keep your listed property insurance premium as affordable as possible, from guiding you through any policy stipulations to recommending trusted suppliers for helping to manage your risk – doing our utmost to ensure your historical home is kept as safe as possible. Simply get in touch to find out more.

Live with character. Insure with confidence.

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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.