When storms hit, they can do incredible damage, felling trees and damaging the structure of houses. Here’s what you need to know about protecting your home
When a storm strikes it can cause serious damage to your home so it’s essential to make sure your property is properly protected.
Fallen trees, high winds, lightning and torrential rain can all wreak havoc on our properties in different ways, often resulting in structural damage or flooding.
Here, we explain how to protect your property from storm damage and how to make a home insurance claim following a storm or flood.
Storm damage is usually covered by your home insurance, but your insurer must be satisfied that you’ve maintained your home to a reasonable standard.
For example, if a storm has knocked tiles from your roof, you may need to provide evidence that they hadn’t already been damaged by wear and tear.
Disputes can also arise over what insurers consider a ‘storm’. Some insurers use a system called the Beaufort scale to decide whether to pay out in the event of a claim. This categorises wind speed on a scale of 0 to 12. An insurer may claim that only winds above a certain point on this scale count as storm-force winds that could damage a building.
Check the small print of your home insurance policy carefully, as policies often vary when it comes to storm damage. For example, while some insurers may pay out for damage to fences, walls, gates, sheds and other outbuildings, others do not.
Typically, garden furniture is excluded unless it’s specifically mentioned in your policy, so if you know bad weather is on the way make sure you put it away or try to secure it. You can buy separate garden cover as a policy extra, which might be useful if you have more expensive items such as barbecues or garden ornaments.
If your property’s contents are damaged during a storm, you should make a claim under your contents insurance.
Most weather-related contents claims are made as a result of flooding, which has been a huge problem in some areas of the country in recent years. Previously homeowners affected by flooding have reported facing difficulties finding cover in subsequent years – however, the Association of British Insurers and the government have put a scheme called Flood Re in place to help.
If your home is uninhabitable after a storm, your insurer should pay for alternative accommodation, until repairs can be carried out.
According to MoneySuperMarket data correct as of July 2019 Making sure your property is properly maintained can help prevent storm and other weather-related damage. There are plenty of measures you can take, including: Contact your insurer as soon as you notice any damage and let them know you need to make a claim. There are several steps you can take to help your insurer process your claim as quickly as possible: Remember that when you make a claim you’ll have to pay an excess, which is the portion of any claim you must pay yourself. If you have a no claims bonus, you may lose some or all of it by claiming. This means your insurance cover may be more expensive when you come to renew your policy. Storm insurance is covered under regular buildings insurance policies. It pays to shop around when looking for home insurance, and you can compare lots of policies using the MoneySuperMarket comparison tool.
How can I protect my property from bad weather?
How to make a claim
Compare storm insurance policies
Everything you need to know to make sure you get the right insurance cover
Discover how to insure the cost of repairing your domestic appliances
How to cover your personal belongings if you’re renting
Learn how to protect your bicycle with specialist insurance protection
Here’s all you need to know if you have to claim on you home insurance
Insure your home and belongings against the risk of flood damage
Learn what steps to take to get the best deal on short-term home cover
Find out what is covered by accidental damage insurance
