Belinda Thorpe, Managing Director at Residentsline, discusses the very topical subject of insurance and storm damage.

Unfortunately there will be many of you that are currently calling around contractors to locate someone to replace a fence panel that has been blown down in the storms following Ciara and Dennis.

Unfortunately, very few home buildings insurance policies will cover the cost of storm damage to fences, gates or hedges. However, most specialist flats insurance policies will.

What Classifies as a Storm?

The Financial Ombudsman defines a storm as something that “generally involves violent winds, usually accompanied by rain, hail or snow”.

Firstly your insurer will check on the wind speeds at the time of the damage.

Most say it must have wind speeds of at least 47mph to count, and some increase that limit to 55mph. 

Storms Ciara and Dennis were so severe, with winds of up to 100 mph is some areas, that no doubt these claims will be accepted provided they are genuine and not fraudulent.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI), a trade body, said: “It’s definitely a storm, there’s no doubt about that. It’s not one of those cases where there can be any dispute.”

What to Do in the Event of Damage

1. Contact your home or commercial insurer as soon as possible. Most will have 24-hour emergency helplines to ensure customers get advice on what to do and arrange repairs as quickly as possible

2. If possible, remove the fence panels to a safe and protected position to avoid them blowing away again.

3. If necessary, arrange temporary emergency repairs to stop any damage getting worse. Tell your insurer and keep any receipts, as this will form part of your claim

4. Take photos of damaged items

5. Take photos of the space where the panels have been blown from

6. List, as far as possible, details of damaged items