Storm weather guidance

We'll help you face the worst of the British weather.

Keep your home safe and sound

Storms and high winds are pretty common in most parts of the UK. Yet a few simple measures are often all it takes to limit the risk to yourself and your property.

Safety tips

  • Emergency kit. Put together a kit that includes a torch, batteries and warm clothing.
  • Guttering. Make sure it is securely fitted and unblocked.
  • Fences and gates. Check that they are secure and sturdy, we don't cover these items.
  • Windows and doors. Check the seals.
  • Outdoor furniture. Store anything that could blow away, like trampolines, parasols. We don't cover objects left out in a storm.

Preparing for a storm

  • Stay informed

    The Met Office can usually give 3 or 4 days’ advance warning of a storm. So stay up to date with the latest forecasts and add your postcode to the live weather feed.

    Ways to protect your home in advance
    1. As it’s the outside of your home where most storm damage occurs, that’s where to begin, starting from the top.
    2. Take a look at your roof. Are there any loose or broken tiles that could come off and injure people or damage property? As professional roofers are usually inundated with work after a bad storm, a timely bit of maintenance now could save you a lot of bother later.
    3. Check your guttering. Make sure it’s securely fitted and unblocked. As with tiles, loose guttering can be dangerous if the wind gets under it. Even if it doesn’t detach from your property, broken guttering can cause water damage in a storm.
    4. Storm damage to fences and gates may not be covered by your insurer. Make sure they are sturdy and secure.
    5. Bins, large pot plants, barbeques, gazebos and garden furniture can all be blown around dangerously during a storm. If you can’t secure them, try to move them further away from your home or to more sheltered parts of the garden. Storm damage to things in the open within your home may not be covered by your insurer.
    6. Check the seals around your windows and doors.

    Have an emergency checklist

    1. Have an emergency kit ready, including a torch with batteries, candles and matches, tinned food, warm clothing and blankets.
    2. Have contact details of local roofers, heating engineers and electricians, plus your utility companies.
    3. Keep important documents handy like your home insurance policy and policy number.
    4. Put your policy's claims line number in your mobile, so it's with you at all times. Visit our contact us page to find the right number.

    1. Stay safe. There isn’t a great deal you can do during a bad storm except stay inside, sit tight and wait for it to blow over.
    2. If there is a risk of flooding, turn off the electricity and gas. Never touch the electricity supply if   you’re standing in water.
    3. Keep your emergency kit (see above) close to hand.

  • What to do if your home or property is damaged, until you can register your claim.

    1. Remove any contents that are damaged beyond repair. Don’t throw them away as you may need them later for your claim.
    2. Keep carpet or rug samples.
    3. Take photographs of all damaged items to help support your claim.

    If you need to make a claim, please contact us as soon as possible.

    Make a claim

  • GOV.UK
    Government advice on flooding and extreme weather.

    Met Office – cold weather alert
    Current alert levels for regions in England

If you need to make a claim

Storm claims common questions

  • A storm means strong winds over 55 mph, or hail or snow that is strong enough to break glass or damage hard surfaces.

    Just rain alone is not a storm.  If there is heavy rain of 25mm or more in a day, which causes damage inside your home we may look at your claim.  We’ll consider claims for internal damage if you weren’t aware of the external damage.

    If you’re making a claim for damage from a storm, we’ll check the weather in your area against using a specialist weather data provider.

    Remember, we don’t cover damage due to wear and tear or when the weather doesn’t meet the thresholds above. 

  • For Lloyds home insurance products. Storms can be very local, and nearby weather stations might not always spot them.  We’ll carry out other checks to see if there is evidence of a storm and whether the damage matches what you’d expect from storm conditions.

    If we need to, we can send someone to check the damage and help work out what happened.

  • “Wear and tear” is the natural ageing and slow damage that happens to your home over time. For example, roof tiles might loosen because nails get rusty, cracks can appear around chimneys or on ridges.  Flat roofs could start to sag or split as they get older. Your insurance doesn’t cover this kind of damage. 

    A storm event can sometimes show up problems that were already there instead of causing new damage.  We check whether the storm actually caused the issue or just revealed something that needed fixing anyway.  If you regularly look after your home and keep up with repairs, it’ll usually handle bad weather better.  

    Insurance is designed to help with sudden, unexpected problems.  It’s not for everyday repairs or general upkeep so it’s important to keep your home in a good condition.

  • Looking after your home helps stop damage when bad weather hits. You should keep everything in good repair.

    This can include fixing any loose or damaged roof tiles, repairing seals on windows, flashing and pointing. Clearing your guttering and drains is also important.

    Roofs need to be in a good state of repair but can be hard to inspect. A local builder or property surveyor should be able to do this for you.  Also look for moss build up, loose or missing pointing and gaps between tiles.  This can be a sign you need to carry out repairs. 

    Roofs don’t last forever.  A pitched/tiled roof generally has a significantly longer life than a flat roof. Flat felt roofs usually need maintenance and or renewal every 10 to 15 years depending on the materials they’re made from.

    Internally look for light visible in the loft from outside, torn under-felt or damp patches especially around windows and doors.

    Outside check nearby trees and safely remove any loose or overhanging branches.  If the tree isn’t on your land, contact the owner.

    Remember we don’t cover storm damage to fences, hedges and gates.

  • We don’t cover damage to gates and fences due to storm. 

    There are steps you can take to ready and protect your fence against storm damage.

    Inspect and repair

    1. Check for weakness, examine your fence for loose panels, posts or signs of rot. Pay attention to the base of wooden posts.  These are prone to weakening over time.
    2. Tighten and reinforce, secure any loose fixings, replace damaged panels and reinforce posts where necessary. If you spot rot or significant wear, replace the affected sections straightaway.

    Choose durable materials

    • Wind-resistant panels, consider using trellis or slat panels, which allow wind to pass through.  This reduces the risk of the fence getting blown over.
    • Concrete posts, these are less likely to rot or weaken and offer greater stability than wooden ones.

    Measures to prevent damage

    Clear surroundings, remove any debris, overhanging branches or items leaning against the fence.  This could cause more strain or damage during high winds.

  • You can sign up for Met Office weather warnings and check their local updates for information about named storms.

    Weather warnings or named storms don’t always mean you can claim on home insurance. They focus on how the weather might affect people, not buildings. They can be local, so even if they happen at the same time, they might hit a different part of the country.

  • Most food in your freezer will last up to 12 hours if you keep the door closed. If the power is out for longer, your electricity company may offer compensation so check with them first.

    If you need to make a claim because food has spoiled, take photos of it all and then it’s fine to throw it away.  Keep any messages from the power company about the outage.

    We don’t cover food in your fridge.  

Weather the storm

How home insurance helped Mrs Jones face the worst of the British weather.

 

 

After a frightening storm damaged Mrs Jones’ home, her family had to move out immediately as it wasn’t safe. So, she contacted her home insurance for help.

She settled into a hotel, refunded by us, and the builders took care of everything, fixing the damage and making the home safe again. And we kept her updated every step of the way.

Watch our short video about this (1 minute, 8 seconds).

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