Large parts of southern Britain were hit by storms overnight, with hurricane strength winds battering people’s homes and cutting off power.

If your home has been affected by the storms you need to take certain steps to ensure your insurer can deal with your claim as quickly as possible. 

Here is the latest advice from the Association of British Insurers:

If you do suffer damage following the storm call your insurer as soon as you can for advice. Most offer 24 hour emergency helpline services to arrange for damage to be inspected and repairs to be carried out as soon as possible.

Household, business and comprehensive motor insurance policies cover flood and storm damage. Most home insurance policies will cover the cost of alternative accommodation (up to a specified limit) if you need to move out of your home while it is being repaired.

If necessary, arrange for temporary repairs to be carried out to stop any damage worsening. Keep a hold of all your receipts, as you will need all of them in order to claim it back.

Make sure you’re safe first

If you think that your home may be flooded, consider your personal safety first and whether it is necessary to evacuate your home immediately. Stay informed of latest developments by listening to local radio, TV or calling the Environment Agency’s floodline on 0845 988 1188.

Do not do anything that may endanger your health and safety and follow any advice to leave your home as soon as possible. Call 999 if you feel in danger from rising floodwater at any point.

Call in an electrician, plumber or emergency worker to make sure that all gas, electricity and water is off in your home to minimise further damage. Make sure that your pets are also out of the way of any harm as they are likely to become disorientated in the upheaval and may stray from home.

Contact your insurer

Call your insurer’s helpline to log your claim and to find out what your next steps should be.

Note that damage to your building will be covered under your home insurance and damage to your possessions will be covered under you contents provider, unless you have the same insurer for both.

Keep an accurate log of the damage and report it back to your insurer properly and any work that needs to be done as soon as you can. Make sure that you speak to your insurer and get the go ahead before you commission any work that is needed to be done on your property. Most insurers will allow you to get the tradesmen in yourself, especially in the areas of Britain where a lot of damage has been done to multiple homes.

Document everything

We cannot stress enough how important it is to log and document everything – that includes keeping all receipts, taking photos of the damage and keeping a timeline of work done. This will all help to make sure your insurance claim is successful and reimbursed as soon as possible by the insurance provider.

Finding temporary accommodation

If the damage to your home means that you will be unable to live in it, your insurer should be able to advise you on alternative accommodation options. Most providers have arrangements in place with local hotels so ask about that first before you book a place yourself.

Get the damage assessed

If your home is badly damaged, your insurer is likely to commission a ‘loss adjuster’, somebody you assesses the damage on behalf of the provider, in to contact you and will assess the damage in detail, and arrange your alternative accommodation and plan the restoration process.

Depending on the extent of the damage, your loss adjuster will either visit you or liaise with you over the telephone. If your home is severely damaged, your loss adjuster may appoint a surveyor to provide additional expertise. The loss adjuster will act as the project manager during the restoration of your home.

Many insurers employ loss adjusters because they are specialists at assessing damage, arranging appropriate alternative accommodation for long periods and planning the restoration of your home. Once your loss adjuster has completed their initial assessment, they should be able to provide you with an approximate timetable outlining what needs to be done to restore your home, who will do it and how long it will take. They may provide you with a ‘claims plan’ setting this out.

The loss adjuster and the insurer should also take care of the cleaning and stripping out as well as disinfecting and drying your home.

For more information, visit www.abi.org.uk or contact your insurer.