Recently, we had another a massive weather system hit Australia. This time it was up and down the East coast with heavy rain and winds. Once again the Gutter-Vac phones ran hot with calls from homeowners needing their gutters cleaned before the storms hit and then of course after the storms hit.
When we work with our customers, we really encourage them to have a preventative maintenance plan for their gutter cleaning. We work out how often they will need their gutters cleaned with the homeowner and then we schedule reminder notices for when their gutter cleaning is next due.
Gutter cleaning is one of those things that most homeowners don’t think about and that is pretty normal because we don’t generally look up at the gutters to remind ourselves they need to be cleaned. It is when we have these weather systems that it becomes a priority. If the gutters are well maintained throughout the year, then there is no rush before a storm hits because your gutters are in good working order.
It is becoming more and more commonplace that insurance companies are not paying out on damages, particularly water damage to homes, if gutters have not been regularly cleaned and maintained. They believe that if the gutters were cleaned then the water damage would not have occurred and this is easily preventable. The Insurance companies are recognising that even in these heavy storms, it is not the storm that has caused the damage – it is the fact that the homeowner’s gutters are already blocked before the storm so therefore unable to do their job when the storm hits.
We are finding that a lot of real estate and body corporate managers also know this, so to protect their landlords’ investment properties they use our services to not only clean the gutters, but they also have a record of regular maintenance – with before and after photos as proof. In the event damage does occur, they can show the insurance company it was due to the weather system, not the maintenance (or should I say lack of maintenance) to the gutters.
Even the insurance companies are advertising and promoting having your gutters cleaned as part of your regular maintenance program.
So don’t get caught out by storms – big or small – that could easily cause major damage to your home. Give us a call to discuss how much it would be to clean your gutters and how we can schedule reminders for your preventative maintenance program.
