ABI: Check Insurance Policies For Weather Damage Cover

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has urged households and businesses to take a thorough look at their insurance policies to see whether they cover damage to their properties as a result of weather damage.

Companies with designer furnishings, LED lighting panels and expensive technology equipment should listen to the advice of the ABI to ensure they are protected should the weather take a turn for the worst this winter.

The organisation suggested taking a look at the policy, checking the excess, and having details of their insurer to hand, especially if they have changed theirs recently.

The ABI’s manager of general insurance Mark Shepherd said: “While we cannot control events like bad weather, making sure you know what you are covered for will ensure that should the worst happens, your insurer can help you recover as quickly as possible.”

If businesses’ properties are damaged because of storms, snow or heavy wind, policyholders should have their claim contact details nearby to call their insurer quickly, arrange temporary repairs to prevent the problems worsening, and keep all damaged items for the insurance provider to check.

This comes after The Met Office revealed that November was the dullest since records began in 1929, with only 36.6 hours of sunshine. Despite this, it was quite warm, with a mean temperature for the UK of 8.2 degrees C.

However, this could all change as Christmas approaches, with weather stations already predicting whether it will be a white Christmas or not. According to the Met Office, a snowflake has fallen somewhere in Britain on 38 Christmas Days out of the last 54, so there is more than a 50 per cent chance that there will be snow in the UK on the bank holiday this year.