20
23 January 2019
www.thevillagenews.co.za
MY HOME GAS INSTALLATIONS
ibles, jewellery and artworks, with pictures showing proof of existence in the event of loss. • Create a walk-though video of your home, describing the contents of each of the rooms as you proceed. • Maintain a current inventory of your home contents and keep this list in an offsite location.
T: 028 312 2020 A: 8 Arum St, Hermanus Industrial
After the fires – the reality of the future
■ Also, make sure that your building insurance does include provision for alternative accommodation in the event of the total loss of your home.
Writer Stephen de Stadler Managing Director, Fine & Country Hermanus, Arabella and Kleinmond
T
he devastating fires that have been raging in various parts of the Overberg since the beginning of the year have had the positive effect of exhibiting that quality that all South Africans seem to have – and that is the ability to work together to ensure that those affected by any disaster are fully assisted. South Africans always forget their imagined differences when tragedy strikes. People from all walks of life descended on fire lines and collection points to provide both expertise and provisions. Where else but in South Africa would people and animals in need be supported to the extent that they have in the past three weeks? It is heartening and encouraging to know that at the end of the day we are all still able to work together for
the common good. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to those families that lost their homes and possessions, but with tragedy comes lessons learned, and in the aftermath of the devastation property owners need to take cognisance of the following points relating to home insurance. ■ You need to ensure that you have adequate and appropriate building insurance. The value that the physical structure of your home needs to be insured for has to take into consideration what it would cost to rebuild your home – as opposed to a standard home of the same basic size. Building costs are not merely dependant on the price of bricks and mortar but must also take into con-
sideration the quality of the finishes in your own home. ■ If your building insurance is provided by your bank, always ensure the value insured is representative of both the value of the bond and the value of the house. ■ Your contents cover should be sufficient to ensure that you can actually replace that which is lost. That may sound fairly obvious, but many homeowners forget that certain items in their home appreciate at different rates to other items. A general increase factor on an annual basis may not be sufficient in the medium to longer term. • Remember, therefore, to have a list and current valuation of any collect-
In speaking to some of our clients who were evacuated in anticipation of potential problems, they said that what was rather unnerving was the lack of preparedness and knowing what to take with them when the evacuation order was made. In order to be better prepared in the future, it would be useful to have the following prepacked items ready to take with you: • The keys to your home. • Prescription medication. • Non-prescription drugs such as pain and stomach medication. • Glasses, contact lenses and the required solutions and holders. • At least one full bottle of water for each member of the family. • Non-perishable food and snacks, sufficient for at least a day. • Pet food sufficient for a few days.
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• Passports, ID documents, drivers’ licences. • Wallets and credit cards. • Mobile phones and chargers. • A hard or soft-copy list of important documents and their underlying reference numbers. • A change of clothes, sensible shoes, a jacket, pullover or jersey and a blanket or sleeping bag. • Books and activities for younger children. • A torch with extra batteries. Also ensure that you have an evacuation plan for your own home, together with a pre-arranged way to keep your animals safe in the lead-up to a possible evacuation. The passage of time will heal the suffering of the past, but our sincere desire is that the final lesson learned is that more care will be taken to ensure that fires are not needlessly started or caused. The natural beauty in this part of our country, coupled with the dry and windy conditions in summer, do require all of us to be more careful when dealing with any item which could ultimately cause a fire of any nature. The views expressed above are those of the writer in his personal capacity and may not necessarily reflect the views of Fine & Country as a national and international brand.
