Surviving home disasters: Together Mutual and John Lewis giveaway

Sometimes it’s good that we can’t predict the future and don’t know what’s about to happen – and that’s certainly the case when a disaster is just around the corner.

Like any unexpected disasters, those that occur in our homes vary in severity, from a mild inconvenience to complete devastation. Some of the factors involved in disasters include water, fire, dodgy decorating jobs and electrical issues.

In the past, we had the unfortunate experience of a water-related home disaster. Having been away for a long weekend, we returned home to discover that water had poured down from the loft through the loft hatch and ceiling and flooded our bedroom. By the looks of it, and the horrible smell of damp, it had been soaked for a while.

The relatively new and carefully chosen carpet was super squelchy and the bed, with our super comfy mattress, was completely soaked. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls and part of the ceiling had caved in.

At that point we were obviously unsure of the cause, but the first port of call was to turn the water off at the mains to prevent any further flooding. Next up was to phone our insurance company for help and advice.

First thing the next morning an assessor arrived to see the damage. Although we knew it wasn’t great, part of us still thought things could be dried out and salvaged, but it was all condemned  as unusable and a skip was arranged.

Also important on his list were some dehumidifiers. Any home disaster involving water leaves a dreadful damp smell which seems to permeate everything. Plus, it makes the house feel cold.

When it came down to identifying the source of the problem, it turned out to all be due to a dodgy ballcock. One of those things that you’re unlikely to be aware of in advance, but what a mess it caused.

Over the next few weeks things were a hive of activity, with dehumidifiers on and workmen coming in to help replace and redecorate the room. There was an extra mishap with the plastering, when even more of the ceiling caved in on the slightly slap-dash plasterer (and, to be honest, the end result of the plastering wasn’t great).

That aside, everything else worked out fine and the furniture, bed, bedding and carpets were all replaced like-for-like.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but we were slightly relieved it hadn’t occurred when were at home and asleep in bed, as that would have been a very cold and wet shock to have water pouring down!

For us, it was only one room affected. It must be absolutely horrendous for people whose entire homes are flooded.

To give you peace of mind that you’re covered in the event of an unexpected home disaster, and have some money to spend on your home, Together Mutual are running this giveaway.

Win a year’s home insurance

Want to win a year’s free home insurance and £200 worth of John Lewis vouchers? Enter the Together Mutual Insurance competition below.

Or take advantage of their current special offer and save up to 40% on your home insurance.

Disclaimer: I teamed up with Together Mutual Insurance (@TogetherIns) to tell the story of my home disaster.

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