Why do landlords require insurance to safeguard their rentals from storms?
Our guide can help you survive the storm intact and avoid the need to make a claim
Although summer is often associated with storms in the UK, February is the peak month for storm damage claims at Total Landlord.
Storms that have battered the UK over recent years - for example storms Dennis and Ciara in 2020 and Dudley and Eunice in 2022 - all hit in the month of February.
Before that, the ‘Beast from the East’ in March 2018 followed a dramatic change in weather in the last week of February. Most recently, in January 2024, the Met Office issued rare red warnings as storm Isha brought 100mph winds and ‘danger to life’.
These storms can often be traced back to a strong front of contrasting temperature between cold air over the north Atlantic and warmer air further south.
Over the past few years, increasing numbers of property owners across the UK have suffered uninsured losses due to flooding and gale-force winds, and scientists predict that climate change is likely to lead to more storm surges as sea levels rise.
But what can landlords and property owners do to protect themselves against storms?
Download our handy storms infographic here.
Since 2018, storm claims have climbed from being the fourth to the second most common claim at Total Landlord Insurance.
The number of storm claims quadrupled between 2018 and 2023, with the average claim paid out peaking at £10,801 in the 2020 storm season.
The most common hazards associated with storms are roof tiles cracking or breaking, trees falling, flooding and fences collapsing. In fact, 66% of all storm claims made between January 2019 and January 2023 were because of roof damage.
The average claim value for storm-related roof damage has risen by over 50% in recent years - from £2,310 in the period 2014 to 2019, to £3,351 between 2019 and 2023.
Most recently, landlord insurance claims for storms Dudley and Eunice (both in February 2022) averaged £4,156, with one claim coming in at an eye-watering £93,020 for damage when, due to storm Eunice, a fir tree at the rear of a property fell, impacting the roof, sash windows and rear balcony.
Storm Eunice was responsible for England’s record-breaking gust speed of 122 mph on the Isle of Wight, which was described by The Met Office as the worst storm since the Burns’ Day storm in 1990, when hurricane force winds struck southern Scotland and 47 people died.
Another recent storm - storm Arwen, which hit the UK in November 2021 - resulted in a claim for £23,890 after a tenant reported that the garage doors had been blown open by the wind, which had then swept into the garage and lifted the roof off, causing the walls to collapse.
Although in the UK we don’t tend to experience storms as frequently as many other countries, major UK storms clearly do cause significant damage to rental properties every year.
As changing weather patterns increase the frequency and intensity of storms in the UK it’s important to make sure you have comprehensive landlord insurance cover to protect you and your property if you are impacted by a storm.
High insurance premiums
Limited coverage options
Difficulty in proving storm-related damage
