ACCORDING to the Met Office, Storm Éowyn was perhaps the strongest cyclone the UK has seen in the last decade. Gusts of wind were in excess of 100 miles per hour across some parts of Scotland causing power cuts, tree falls and damage to homes and shops.
As we pick up the pieces and get back to normal what are your rights to claim on household insurance policies for storm damage loss? UK insurance companies are well versed in such claims. Over the last two years or so there has been unprecedented extreme weather in the UK.
The naming of storms by the Met Office began in 2015 with over a dozen recorded. Recently we’ve had Storms Dudley, Eunice, Babet, Ciarán, Bert, Conall, Ashley and Darragh among others. Most home insurance policies cover you for storm damage but many have exclusions for accidental damage – which are often optional extras to policies.
For example, if part of your roof blows off and water then enters your home, the rain damage might be considered to be accidental damage while the cost of fixing the roof itself will be treated as storm/weather damage.
The first thing you should do is notify your insurer of a claim as most policies will have a time limit to do so. It’s helpful to also check you policy document to understand what cover you have and what exclusions might apply. If you don’t have a policy document contact your insurer for a copy.
Take photographs on your phone of the damage sustained – especially so before you arrange emergency temporary repair works. Take photographs after temporary repairs works too.
You generally have to mitigate your losses. If possible speak to your insurer if you have to instruct emergency repairs as they may have approved contractors. That might not have been possible so keep receipts of urgent work carried out to protect your home from consequential damage.
It’s not unusual for building insurance to exclude the cost of repairs to fences, walls and gates from storm damage. Sheds and outbuildings are more likely to be covered – but check the policy exclusions. Other typical exclusions might include, incomplete extensions, falling aerials, garden furniture and falling trees.
Causation can be a contentious issue in insurance claims. For significant claims insurance companies will send an inspector/claims adjuster to examine your damage.
An adjuster might argue that the primary cause of damage was a lack of maintenance or wear and tear as opposed to the storm itself and decline a claim. If this can be disputed, you should make a complaint to the insurance company setting out your evidence. You may wish to instruct an independent expert and obtain legal advice.
If the company continues to refuse a claim you have a right to make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can do this online here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/make-complaint
If you live in a tenement and think there has been some storm damage contact your property factor (if you have one) to instruct an inspection; if you don’t have a factor, agree with co-owners the need to instruct a roofer for an inspection.
- This article first appeared in the Glasgow Evening Times newspaper on 27 January 2025.
