What to do when your flat roof is damaged by high winds
England has recently been battered by gale force winds. Severe weather warnings for snow and wind have been issued. Temperatures have dropped dramatically, with icy gusts of between 60-70mph playing havoc with the roads, gardens and properties.
So what if these high winds damage your flat roof? Will your insurer pay out?
Buildings insurance policies usually cover any financial loss caused by storm damage. However, it’s not always as simple as getting in touch with your insurer to say, “My roof was damaged in a storm; can you pay for the repairs please?” Ultimately, it depends on the severity of the weather and the condition your flat roof was in before it was damaged.
Was it a storm?
The Financial Ombudsman often sees complaints stemming from a dispute between insurer and homeowner as to what actually constitutes a storm. If you take a look at your policy, you may find that it does not define what a storm is.
Insurers may rely on the Beaufort Scale, which categorises wind speed on a scale ranging from 0-12. However, storm damage may occur without high winds, which can further complicate matters.
The Financial Ombudsman states that a ‘storm generally involves violent winds, usually accompanied by rain, hail or snow’.
Condition of flat roof
If your building insurance company deems that your flat roof was already in a poor state of repair, they will almost certainly refuse to pay out. This is because many insurers exclude damage caused by wear and tear or gradual deterioration.
You may then choose to complain against your insurer to the Financial Ombudsman. However, if they agree and believe its state of disrepair should have been clear to you, your complaint is unlikely to be upheld.
If this is the case, you may be able to claim some of your losses under the ‘accidental damage’ section of your policy, dependent on the terms of your building insurance policy and fundamentally, whether you’ve opted to take out accidental damage insurance.
Snow can also play havoc with your roof – and your stress levels if you have to deal with the cost of repairs. Again, make sure you understand the wording on your buildings insurance policy. A snow storm is an extreme volume of snowfall over a short period of time. If your roof was to collapse after a snowstorm you should be able to make a claim. However, if snow has fallen gradually over the course of a number of days before your roof collapsed, you will probably have to pay for repairs yourself. This is because you have the opportunity to clear the snow before the damage occurred.
Maximum protection from storms
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Want to know more? Simply get in touch with High-Tech Membrane Roofing today to request a free sample or home visit.
