Understanding storms in the context of insurance

Many building insurance policies do not define what is meant by ‘storm’; this is in part due to there being caselaw precedent on the subject matter. But the Financial Ombudsman advises that a storm generally involves violent winds, usually accompanied by rain, hail or snow.
However, there can be circumstances where storm damage is caused to property without high winds occurring; this damage could be caused by extremes of other forms of weather, such as snow.

Defects or damages that have been highlighted by poor weather but have not been caused by it directly, e.g. a flat roof that has reached the end of its useful life and allows water to permeate through it. In this example, storm is not the cause of the damage, it has simply highlighted a pre-existing defect caused by gradual deterioration of the building/material, which is generally excluded under policies as ‘wear and tear’.

Damage where there has been no storm conditions within the local area. Insurers/their representatives will have access to data from weather stations across the country, which supplies them with information such as wind speeds, rain volume etc. so they can get a good understanding of the weather within the area around the time of the loss.

The Financial Ombudsman advise on their website that they generally consider the below when assessing complaints brought to them:

– Do we agree that storm conditions occurred on or around the date the damage is said to have happened?
– Is the damage claimed for consistent with what we generally see as storm damage?
– Were storm conditions the main cause of the damage or were there other factors that meant the damage might have happened anyway?

This is also typically how an insurer will consider a claim presented to them; if the claim does not fall for consideration under storm they will also consider if there is another section of the policy that would respond to the claim made.

Flat roofs have historically had a bad reputation in the insurance industry, due to their low life expectancy in comparison to that of a pitched roof. Quite often, bad weather highlights a defect with a flat roof as opposed to being the cause of the defect. This is why certain policies may insert a flat roof maintenance condition, requiring that flat roofs be inspected by a competent contractor within set timescales e.g. every two years.

A fence generally, in a good condition, can withstand storm conditions; however, should a fence have started to rot or be in a deteriorated state, it is more prone to damage during storm conditions. Insurers, therefore, have generally excluded claims for storm damage to fences, gates and movable property in the open. However, the McClarrons Property Investors policy, via AXA, does cover storm damage to fences up to £2,500.