Flying tiles and wheelie bins take their toll

In the wake of Thursday’s (18 January) storms, AA Insurance is urging customers to get damage to their home repaired as quickly as possible.

Gerry Barrett, head of AA Home Insurance, advises: “Insurance companies are being inundated with calls. But it’s important not to delay getting relatively minor damage repaired or made safe as a further gale of less severity than we’ve seen could result in existing damage made much worse – and a much larger insurance claim.

“Insurers are taking a practical view given the huge number of claims now being made. Most insurers will agree to customers getting minor damage repaired as quickly as possible and sort out the claim later – but check with your insurer first.”

24 hours after the gales, AA Insurance had received as many calls in 24 hours as in a normal week to its Claimline home insurance emergency helpline. Typical calls are for:

emergency repair to windows
trees and branches causing significant structural damage
damage caused by flying fence panels or parts of garden sheds
roof damage – loss of slates or tiles; loss of flat roof from extensions and damage to gutters and external pipes
ingress of rain water through damaged roof
flooding

Similarly, claims for damage to cars were 50 per cent higher than on a normal Thursday and 24 hours after the gales, approaching 1,000 claims had been received.

Top car claims were for damage caused by:

Debris from property hitting cars, including slates, tiles, gutters, pipes and roof/wall panels from industrial buildings
Trees and branches
Fence panels
Wheelie bins
Shopping trollies
Swerving to avoid debris or floods; or being blown off course and hitting other property or vehicles

Gerry Barrett says: “Clearly insurance companies are experiencing an especially high volume of calls so please keep trying to get through. And once the weather has calmed down it’s important to look for tell-tale signs of damage that you might not have noticed. For instance, carefully look at your roof to see whether any tiles or slates have slipped or cracked. Gutters and pipes might have become dislodged and while still in place, might be dangerously loose. Take look in your loft when it’s raining and look for tell-tale drips of water and keep an eye on top-floor ceilings – a damp patch would suggest a leak. In your garden, secure loosened fence panels, too.”

But Gerry Barrett warns against trying to ‘do it yourself’. “Climbing on to your roof is best left to people who know what they are doing,” he says.

Insurers are becoming used to isolated damaging storms and floods but these recent storms have been unusual in that they have been so widespread. “But weather forecasters are suggesting that there could be more of the same this winter – so make sure your property is as secure as possible.”