Over the last five months, the UK has been battered by six separate windstorms – three of which occurred between December 6th and January 2nd. Each storm has disrupted everyday life across the UK, with power outages, traffic issues and damage caused to the country’s landscape - as well as the additional risk storms, pose to your property. Your car, contents and property can be damaged by debris and in some cases, your insurance might not cover you.
Most insurance policies won’t insure against damage caused by falling trees, debris or storm damage that has been left by rogue weather.
Car
According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), only motorists who hold a fully comprehensive car insurance policy will be able to make a claim for storm damage caused to their car. If you have Third Party, Fire and Theft Insurance, you won’t be insured should your vehicle be damaged by a storm.
So what should comprehensive car insurance holders do if their car is damaged by a storm?
- Contact your insurer immediately – use the 24-hour emergency helpline if it is outside business hours.
- Take photos of the damage to your car. Try not to remove any debris until you have taken plenty of photos.
- Get temporary repairs made (i.e. if your window is broken, you’ll want to safeguard your interior against the elements). Make sure you inform your insurer before making the repairs so you can get reimbursed later.
- If you have any concerns that the car is unsafe, don’t drive it.
Home
Your home insurance is more likely to protect you against storm damage, however, it is important that you stay on top of the maintenance of your home.
When you make a claim on your insurance for storm damage, your insurer will likely send an agent or independent surveyor to discover whether the damage was caused by the storm, or as a result of negligence to an aspect of your property’s upkeep.
For example, if there have been issues with the tiles on your roof and then a storm rips them away, it’s possible your claim will be rejected because by not repairing the roof, you may have indirectly contributed to the damage caused by the storm.
If you want to make sure that you have the appropriate cover in place to protect you no matter the weather, then give us a call on 01282 817 277