The roof tiles, your brand new solar panels and the front door of the freshly painted shed: you just have to hope that everything survives storm Corrie. ‘Luckily I’m well insured!’ you may be thinking now. But is that really so? A standard household insurance policy does not cover a few flying roof tiles.
Bonne Kerstens
Latest update:
01-01-22, 18:07
Home insurance does. And you have that, if you have a house with a mortgage, anyway. This is mandatory when you take out the mortgage. Do you live in a residential building? Even then you can assume that you are properly insured.
What kind of damage could the storm cause? We check with the comparison site independer.
First of all, the ‘standard’ storm damage. In the case of storm damage, think of a tree that falls on your house or roof tiles that blow off your home. Your insurance only reimburses storm damage if the wind force is higher than 7. With wind force 9 for Corrie, that is the case today. It is good to know that every insurer has a deductible for storm damage.
Water damage
Water damage is often caused by heavy rainfall. But it didn’t rain really hard today. It is possible that the wind causes blown roof tiles, so that the rain comes in. A leak in your roof is enough to cause significant water damage. Water damage will be reimbursed by your insurer. It is important that you tackle the cause of the damage as soon as possible. Then you report the damage to your insurer.
Lightning damage
When lightning strikes, you often deal with a lot of damage. In addition to the fire that starts, cracks can also appear in the walls. Many electrical appliances are also subjected to too much voltage due to lightning strikes. This can make them unusable. Lightning damage is covered by your insurance.
Higher deductible
This article originally appeared on this site after a similar storm in 2019.
Do you have a house for sale? In case of storm damage, you usually have a higher deductible than for other damage. That is usually 0.2 percent of the rebuild value: the amount needed to rebuild your house in the same place, size and destination.
The deductible for storm damage is usually between 225 and 500 euros. You can find this in the policy conditions. Was the damage limited to, for example, a few blown roof tiles? Then you can consider paying for the damage yourself.
Home contents versus home insurance
Most people have both home and contents insurance. But which damage is covered by which insurance?
The home insurance
With home insurance you insure the house yourself and basically everything that is attached to the house. These include the walls, superstructure and roof. But your built-in kitchen and bathroom are also covered by the home insurance, as are any solar panels.
The household insurance
With home contents insurance you insure all (loose) items in your home. Think of your (garden) furniture, equipment, clothing and crockery. In fact, everything you take with you when you move is covered by home contents insurance. If loose items are broken by the storm, you are insured for this.
What is not covered by home contents or building insurance?
A home contents or building insurance does not reimburse damage caused by:
– Floods
– Molest (war, revolts)
– Earthquakes
– Atomic Nuclear Reactions
Some insurers exclude even more claims. This can be found in the policy conditions of your insurer.
The car
In addition to your home, your car is also susceptible to storm damage. Is your car only third-party insured? Then you are only insured for damage that you yourself cause to others. Do you have damage to your own car? Then you will not be reimbursed if a tree falls on your car later. You will be reimbursed for the damage with a WA+ Limited Casco insurance and a WA+ Full Casco insurance (so-called All Risk).
Claiming storm damage is in most cases not at the expense of the no-claim discount, reports Independer. This means that you will no longer pay premium because you claim storm damage. Check in advance in the conditions how your insurer deals with storm damage. Do you have car insurance with a deductible? In that case, the insurer deducts the deductible from the compensation that you receive. Because you also pay the deductible in the event of storm damage.
7 tips to prevent damage
You don’t have to worry much with a home for sale, a housing association home and a liability insurance + car insurance. But damage is damage, and its settlement takes time and effort. Prevention is better than cure, it also sounds now. So how do you prevent storm damage? Seven tips from insurers:
– If possible, do not park your car under a tree.
– During a heavy shower it is smart to keep a little extra distance and not to drive too fast.
– Do not travel with a trailer if it is not really necessary.
– Check the trees around your house for loose branches or protruding branches that could hit walls and/or windows.
– Check whether all roof tiles are still in good condition and intact.
– Close all windows properly.
– Store garden furniture and flower pots so that they cannot be blown around and cause damage.
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