UK Home Insurance Claims - Storm Damage

Household policies will generally cover your repair costs you sustain as a result of damage caused by storm.

Your buildings policy is not likely to explain what they define a storm as and people tend to have varying opinions on what these words mean in insurance terms means – this can frequently lead to disputes and complaints for this type of claim and can be very problematic for Insurers, Loss Adjusters and Policyholders.

A typical buildings policy will outline storm and flood cover / exclusions as follows:

Loss or damage to your home caused by;

Storm or flood



We will not pay for;

Damage by frost

Fences, hedges or gates

Gradual damage

The policy will therefore cover your claim for any storm damage unless it falls under the exclusions (we will not pay for/what is not insured) section.

A typical contents policy will provide similar cover but with different exclusions:

Loss or damage to your home caused by; We will not pay for;

Storm or flood Gradual damage

Damage to contents in the open

Contents in the open will include items such as trampolines, garden furniture etc that are in the open (ie: garden) as these are highly susceptible to storm damage.

WHAT IS A STORM?

Most people would consider storm to involve high/violent winds which is frequently accompanied by other weather conditions such as rain, hailstones or snow.

The most common approach for measuring wind speeds is to use the Beaufort Scale (this can be easily found on google. Using the beaufort scale in isolation is not a viable method of considering if storm damage has in fact occurred on each individual case – in some situations, the weather station used to obtain the weather records may be a substantial distance from your Insured property or the property may be in an exposed location which has experienced high gust winds which will not be evidenced on a local weather report. Many Insurers will use figures such as more than 48 knots (55mph) per hour as a guideline in establishing if storm conditions were present.

Most Insurers will also allow for the storm cover to operate for damage caused by weight of snow and by heavy rain (in the absence of windy conditions) as long as it is considered that the snow or rain was of an exceptional level and due to a single occurrence.

WHAT DOES THE POLICY COVER?

If your storm claim is accepted, the policy will pay for the related repairs to put the property back into its pre-incident condition.

For building repairs, this may include items such as replacement of roof tiles (scaffolding and other access costs will be included if required) and internal repairs if water has entered the property. If the damage was caused by a fallen tree, it will also include costs for removal of the tree from the property as long as there has been buildings damage by the tree. If a wall has been storm damaged, Insurers will pay to repair the damaged section of the wall.

If damaged has been caused to another persons property due to storm damage at your home (eg: tiles have blown off your roof and damaged a neighbours car) then you should check the liability section of your policy which will enable you to claim for this damage)

It is rare for storm damage claims to make the property uninhabitable however, if it has (refer to alternative accommodation factsheet for further information) then you can claim for alternative accommodation costs under your policy for the period until the property is repaired and habitable.

In deciding whether you have a valid storm claim, your Insurer / Adjuster should consider a number of different factors:
Weather records in and around the time of the loss or damage you have reported
Nature of the damage
Condition of the affected property including factors such as age, materials, whether there has been any maintenance previously carried out, rust on metal fixtures, moss or other growth in area
If in doubt, a Contractor may be appointed to inspect the damage and provide comment on whether it is consistent with storm or if any maintenance issues

COMMON AREAS OF DISPUTE

Flat roofs:

Flat roofs are commonly submitted claims to Insurers where they leak and water enters the property causing subsequent internal damage.

Whilst these may appear to be due to storm, they are primarily due to wear & tear. These roofs are prone to failure, especially if they are not maintained and come to the end of their useful lives frequently 10-15years after installation.

If however your flat roof has been punctured by a falling object such as a roof tile or the roof has been physically lifted from its fixings during a violent storm then the claim will be valid.

Hedges, fences & gates:

If the previously mentioned exclusion exists on your policy, repair or replacements for your fences, hedges or gates will not be payable within a storm claim as such damage is usually maintenance and this type of external property is highly susceptible to damage by the weather.


If however, a nearby tree or structure falls onto the fence / hedge or gates then you can claim in this scenario as storm damage.

Fallen tree's

A policy will rarely pay to for the cost of removal of fallen trees unless the tree has actually damaged your buildings. The costs for tree removal can be substantial as the tree has to be cut and disposed of.

Internal damage due to water ingress:

If water enters the property from externally and the external damage has been verified as storm then the internal damage will automatically be covered.

If the external damage has been declined as not considered to be storm, you may still be able to have the internal damage claim accepted if you have accidental damage cover in place or still possibly as storm if there was torrential rainfall in excess of an amount the Insurer will class as storm – commonly around 20mm of rainfall within a 12 hr period

Damage to rendering:

Many people submit a storm claim for damage to the external rendering on the main home or on external walls, however, this damage is usually due to wear & tear or frost – both of which are excluded from a household policy.

If however you can prove that the render was damaged by storm eg: something impacting the render during high winds then you will have a valid storm claim although, Insurers may only pay for the damaged area even if there is a matching issue (if this is the case, you should challenge as you may be able to obtain a 50% contribution towards the undamaged repairs to make it match)

Slipped slates:

When slates slip from their fixed location, it is common for someone to think that this has been caused by weather. Weather can be a factor, however, occasionally, this may happen due to nail sickness; when nails rust and no longer hold the slate in place. Insurers will not pay for repairs to the latter as this is a maintenance issue, however, may consider any internal damage if you have accidental damage cover or if there was exceptional rainfall that can be classed as storm for the purpose of the claim.

General maintenance issues:

Stormy weather is not always the cause for some damage whilst it may appear to be. If the property is not in good condition then the damage may have occurred without a storm occurring or due to the condition, it may have been inevitable that the damage would occur. In this scenario, you are likely to find that Insurers will not pay your claim unless you can demonstrate otherwise. Again, as previously mentioned, If you have accidental damage cover however you may still be able to claim for internal damage.

MAKING A COMPLAINT

Many storm claims result in disputes due to these being declined by Insurers. If you have experienced this, it would be useful to consider if you have grounds for a complaint via your Insurer initially with a potential Financial Ombudsman (FOS) complaint if you do not get a satisfactory outcome. Your Insurance company complaints department will usually consider the claim decision in line with the Ombudsmans approach and previous decisions when deciding whether to overturn the decision and pay.

Weather reports will often be reviewed for the period when it is thought that the damage was discovered (this can sometimes be difficult as the damage may have occurred but not discovered by the homeowner for a further period eg: wind blows off roof tiles and a week later, it is noticed that water is coming in through a ceiling). These weather results are used to give an indication as to the general weather conditions at the time however, it is accepted that these may not be completely accurate such as when the property is not located close to the nearest weather station.

If a storm remains completely unidentified and no evidence can be obtained to support that there had been possible weather conditions close to the time of the reported loss then the claim / complaint is likely to fail.

They will also consider as to whether the property was in good condition at the time the storm damage manifested as this can assist with establishing if storm was the likely cause.

Most policies will exclude damage caused by wear & tear / gradual deterioration and it is common for presented storm claims to be caused by such maintenance issues rather than by stormy weather– this is particularly true of damage to flat roofs which are prone to wear frequently some 10-15 years after being installed when they come to the end of their useful life (on most occasions when a flat roof is genuinely damaged by storm, it will be when extremely strong winds rip the roof covering from the roof or a roof tile or other object is blown in the wind and lands on the flat roof causing a puncture).

If a claim has been rejected, complaints / the Ombudsman will consider whether the damage was inevitable due to its condition or whether the dominant cause was in fact the weather – if the latter, it will be accepted that the storm cover should allow for the cost of any repairs that are required.

PREVENTING STORM DAMAGE
The external condition of your home is important when trying to prevent storm damage. If the property is maintained in a good condition, it is less likely that adverse weather will cause damage. It is a condition of a household policy that the insured buildings are kept in a good state of repair.
Gutters and downpipes should be checked for blockages and kept clear. Backed up gutters can send water flowing into the home during periods of heavy rain.
The roof should be checked periodically for damaged or loose tiles. A roof in good repair is more likely to withstand the impact of high winds and keep water out of your home.
Some areas like flat roofs, fascia boards and boundary walls are difficult to inspect and if you are unable to check yourself, it is recommended that a suitable builder should be used to do this. This can help to spot problems early on and could prevent or minimise potential damage

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About the Author

Zara Imrie

The Claims Vault - free Household Claims Advice and Discussion forums for Consumers