The truth about storms and insurance payouts

Éowyn, Amy, Claudia, Bram, Goretti. Sometimes storms seem so frequent, it feels like we’re hurtling through the alphabet of storm names at an incredible rate of knots. As a broker, stormy season (often January) is the busiest time for claims. But, from an insurance point of view, when is a storm a storm? And when can you claim for storm damage?

Key takeaways

• A named storm or weather warning does not automatically mean an insurer will treat damage as storm damage. Insurers may consider the recorded wind speeds and conditions at the property’s specific location.
• Some insurers use the Beaufort scale when assessing claims, with storm-force winds typically associated with speeds of around 55-63mph.
• Storm insurance can cover damage such as roof damage, water entering through driving rain, secured outdoor contents and fallen trees, subject to the policy’s terms and exclusions.
• Insurance is designed to cover sudden storm damage, not deterioration caused by poor maintenance or gradual wear and tear.
• Damage to fences, gates and sheds may be restricted or excluded because these structures are particularly vulnerable to weather and existing deterioration.
• Property owners should address loose roof tiles, unstable trees and other maintenance issues promptly, as insurers may decline a claim where the storm exposed a pre-existing problem rather than causing the damage itself.

Here are 3 things you might not know about storms and insurance: 

#1 Strong winds aren’t necessarily a storm

When it comes to claims for storm damage, insurance companies work from the Beaufort wind force scale (the measure of wind speed against observed conditions at sea or on land).  Beaufort wind speeds are averaged over 10 minutes and measured at 10 meters above ground, which is why often, they don’t match the wind speeds we can feel.

When it comes to insurance claims, a Storm is classed as a wind force of 10 or above (for context, 12 is a hurricane) with a wind speed of 55-63 miles per hour.  And, according to the Royal Meteorological Society, the official description of a storm is:

“Seldom experienced inland; trees uprooted; considerable structural damage. Sea surface is largely white.”  

Some insurers might also consider insurance claims as a result of a Strong Gale; a wind force of 9 with wind speeds of 47-54 miles per hour and described as:

“Slight structural damage (chimney pots and slates removed). Wave crests topple over, and spray affects visibility.”

So, before you make an insurance claim for damage after a storm, it’s worth checking the storm ‘definitions’ in your insurance policy, as well as the recorded wind speeds in your area. Because whilst storm claims are often trending after a storm, they’re not always valid.

Top Insurance Tip: Check that your high-value home insurance covers you for ‘all-risks’ and doesn’t exclude events like storms.

#2 Storm damage VS wear and tear  

 Insurance policies don’t cover wear and tear, so to make a claim for storm damage, it must be the storm that caused the damage, rather than negligence leading to wear and tear over time. So, if a roof tile was already on its way off, a storm might be classed as the final nail in the coffin, rather than the cause.

 Typical storm damage can include:

• Damage to roofs
• Damage to outdoor contents (as long as safely secured)
• Water ingress from driving rain (water ingress is a just a fancy way of saying water that’s unintentionally entered a building from outside)
• Trees going through your property (or one of your trees going through someone else’s property)

Interestingly, most insurance policies limit or exclude damage to fences and sheds because they are so susceptible to wind and rain damage and it’s hard to tell storm damage from wear and tear.

Top Insurance Tip: Act as if you’re uninsured – spot a wonky tile or a precarious tree? Call a builder or tree surgeon straight away to prevent further damage.

#3 A storm warning isn’t the same as a storm

Imagine the scenario: you’ve had a yellow or amber storm warning in your area. And after a period of horrendously bad weather, you discover some damage to your property.

But did the storm officially reach storm-level winds? And did the storm actually hit your address?

When storm warnings hit, they’re all over the news. And as soon as the storm has a name, everyone is talking about it which makes it seem very real. It might sound obvious, but a yellow or amber storm warning means ‘get prepared’ not ‘this storm will definitely hit’.   And a storm warning plus bad weather doesn’t automatically mean that storm-level winds were recorded. Or that storm-level weather hit your specific postcode.

So, if you do spot damage after a storm, the first thing to check is if the storm actually hit your area AND if storm-level wind speeds (according to the Beaufort scale) were recorded. Because although you might have experienced high winds and bad weather, it might not have been classed as a storm at your address.

Top tip: Storm-level winds (55-63 miles per hour) are relatively uncommon inland so see storm warnings as an opportunity to fix those property issues you might have been putting off.

Wish you had access to a personal claims assistant, so you didn’t have to spend hours on hold or chasing? Speak to us about our high-net-worth home insurance policies which all come with a with free in-house claims service.

Email Stuart or call us today on 0118 916 5480