Heavy snow, wind and rain have contributed to winter weather damage costing £600 million per year in the past few years, according to M&S Money.
Although insurance is useful for combating storms and adverse weather, we also need to maintain our homes.
In some cases an insurer will refuse to pay out for a weather-related home insurance claim if it feels that the homeowner hasn’t maintained their property to a sufficient standard. But what do you need to maintain?
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has recently published some new case studies revealing why it sometimes sides with the insurer on weather-related complaints.
The ombudsman is a free service that can force your bank, insurer, or many other companies providing credit or financial services to compensate you if you're treated unfairly.
Here are some examples of stormy stories:
Careful where you store things
In the first of the FOS's case studies, Mr and Mrs Q temporarily stored things in a marquee in their garden while they were renovating their property.
Wind tore into the canopy and rain destroyed £10,000-worth of possessions. The insurers refused to pay on the grounds the small print says they must “take reasonable steps to protect their property” and “notify the insurer of any significant change in circumstances which might affect the policy”.
The Qs complained to the FOS. The ombudsman felt the couple had taken reasonable steps to protect their property, but it felt that it was a significant change that the insurers would undoubtedly want to reassess, since it was expecting contents to be in a secure home. As a result it rejected the Qs' complaint.
Bad weather isn't enough
Mr and Mrs A complained to the FOS when their insurer rejected their claim for water damage to décor and belongings.
The pattern of the damage did not appear to have been caused by a storm, and the couple had admitted it was due to leaks over several months.
The problem seemed more likely due to general bad weather or perhaps poor workmanship in the roof area. Insurance is for specified events, such as a storm or fire. To protect against ongoing bad weather, homeowners must maintain their roof. Hence, the FOS rejected the complaint.
Old walls fall down sometimes
Mr C complained to the FOS after an insurer refused his claim when a sloping, 100-year-old wall, which was holding back earth on one side, fell down. He claimed it was due to flood damage or landslip (ground movement).
The FOS rejected Mr C's complaint. There was no record of strong winds, or rain heavy enough to overwhelm the weep holes in the wall. Also, as is common in home insurance, claims for landslip could only be made on garden walls if it also damaged the house or garage.
Heavy snow isn't necessarily a storm
Mrs M's guttering was damaged after a week of heavy snowfall, yet her insurer refused her claim.
The FOS also rejected her complaint. It had been a week of heavy snow, but no storm, which the FOS ‘generally expects’ to include violent winds.
The FOS noted that many home insurance policies would have insured Mrs M under the accidental-damage section, but she had not bought this add-on as part of her policy.
Sometimes customers win
Mrs I's storm damage claim was rejected after the insurer told her wind speeds in her area on that day were not recorded at 55mph or more. (level 10 on the Beaufort scale)
It's long been the FOS's approach not to consider recorded wind speeds as the deciding factor, taking the view damage can occur at lower wind speeds, for example because there can be more localised gusts in areas away from the weather station, or because the building layout creates unusual conditions.
There had been reports of significant wind and rain in Mrs I's area, so the ombudsman told the insurer to deal with her claim.
Maintain and insure
The average storm claim costs £600 and many cost thousands, according to M&S Money, but we must use it in conjunction with maintenance.
Fleur Carruthers from M&S Money said: “We recommend homeowners make time over the next couple of weeks to check their homes are in a good state of repair and ready for winter.”
Carruthers suggests you keep gutters clear, check roof tiles, insulate pipes, cut back plants and trees, and keep your chimney free of debris to reduce fire risk. You must also report any damage to insurers immediately.
We asked an expert from Merlin claims to show us the most important home maintenance areas. If you're unsure about how to maintain your home, watch the short video below.
