Taking care of what we already have is sustainability at its best

Through If’s house assessments, we have examined and indicated the need for maintenance in approximately 135,000 homes across the entire Nordic region. After the assessment, If’s customer Arild Rekve was able to attend to several flaws in his property that he had not previously been aware of.

Since 2012, working together with partner Anticimex, If has offered customers with comprehensive house insurance a thorough ‘house assessment’ every fourth year, intended to give an overview of the condition of their homes to avoid major, unforeseen damages. Since then, approximately 135,000 Nordic homeowners have used the service.

‘Our aim has been to carry out 30,000 assessments every year in the Nordic region. We’ve achieved this with a good margin. We very often see that small efforts are enough to substantially prolong the lifespan of different building parts – something that protects both the customer and the environment. Taking the best possible care of what we already have is sustainability at its best’, says Jann O. Brevig, responsible for the service at If.

For long-standing If customer Arild Rekve, who lives in Kristiansand, Norway, the house assessment meant an in-depth condition report of his four-story house, which was built in 1952.

‘A man came from If and Anticimex and thoroughly assessed the entire house from attic to basement. I got advice on replacing everything from a fire extinguisher that had expired to old windows that were no longer as energy-efficient as they could be. It was quite something to see everything he checked that I’d never thought to take a closer look at’, says Arild Rekve.

The survey, conducted by specially trained inspectors from Anticimex, consists of 150 different checkpoints, both inside and outside the building. Arild Rekve recommends that all homeowners who are able take advantage of the service.

‘I really do. If you discover things early, you can do something about them. It is very important to be aware of these things, and it is better to get them fixed before they become a major problem’, he says.