As the weather begins to relax across most parts of the UK today, the damage from the weeks storms is becoming more obvious.
It was a destructive and costly start to the year and most insurers reported big increases in the amount of claims. News Insurances had a look at what different insurance companies were reporting about the storms.
Direct Line
Direct Line Insurance recorded a 300% increase in claims for the first 3 days of January compared to an average year. They also reported that nearly half of these claims were related to roof damage.
AA Insurance
AA yesterday announced that their claims rates have doubled, but they noticed a particular jump in roofing claims which jumped twelve-fold in the last few days. They said that other common claims included windows broken by falling tree branches or roof tiles as well as gutters and aerials.
They also noticed a stark increase in car insurance claims resulting from flying debris. A classic case for a storm provoked car insurance claim, AA said, was driving through standing water and checking the engine only to have the bonnet blow off and smash the windscreen.
Co-operative
The Co-operative was another company to report larger than usual figures. In the first four days of 2012 they had received more claims than they normally would in the whole of January.
While the effects of the storm on different companies vary slightly, they all issued the same warnings – don’t drive unless you need too, clear hazardous loos objects from around the house, keep up repairs on the house when safe to do so, and keep your car in the garage to protect it from flying debris. If something does happen, notify your insurer as soon as possible to make sure the claim process runs smoothly.
