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Every year, millions of homeowners may file insurance claims for damage caused to their house, but the process isn't always easy and can often take quite a while to clear up. As such, it might be wise for insurance agents to encourage their clients to make sure they're doing as much as possible to protect their properties from such damage, such as by regularly checking to make sure everything is in good shape.

A damaged roof or other things that might lead to the need for potentially significant, time-consuming, and costly home repair can be a major thorn in any homeowner's side and budget, and while many of these issues are often covered by insurance policies, they're also avoidable, according to a report from Seattle news station KOMO. Therefore, consumers who take the time to make sure their homes are in good shape may be able to avoid the appearance of any of these problems that typically arise as a result of damage caused by weather or other conditions so that they don't have to file an insurance claim. This may be especially important if they find out they would even be covered.

""Homeowners insurance is designed to protect you from sudden and accidental losses, that could be a fire, windstorm, theft a broken water pipe,"" Karl Newman, president of the Northwest Insurance Council, told the news station. ""It's not intended to cover maintenance-related issues such as water damage from a leaky roof or a cracked foundation.""

What can they check?
When it comes to the kinds of damage they might be able to avoid, things like cleaning out their gutters and carefully inspecting their roof can help them to avoid major water damage, the report said. This is also true of repairing or replacing siding when necessary, and ensuring that there's nowhere around the home through which water can pool and potentially seep in.

As such, insurers may need to encourage homeowners to do their due diligence when it comes to this issue so that they don't deal with a potentially large influx of claims when a big storm wind or rain storm hits. Moreover, they should further help those people to understand exactly what is and is not covered by their specific policies, so that they're aware of how they should expect to have their issues handled by their insurers.

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