What can landlords do to protect their rental property against storms?
Landlords can protect their property from storms with structural reinforcement and insurance
It’s in your interests as a landlord to get ‘winter ready’ by protecting your property to safeguard your tenants from harm. And prevention is the best strategy. But where should you start?
Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce the risk of damage to your property and the need to make an insurance claim.
The Met Office reports that naming storms has helped to raise awareness and gives the public the information needed to stay safe when severe weather is on its way. For example, 90% of those within the red warning area in the southeast for storm Eunice took action to protect themselves, their property or their business.
Forewarned is forearmed – thanks to improvements in weather forecasting, better storm tracking and messaging, there is no excuse not to be aware of an approaching storm. So be sure to check the Met Office weather forecast regularly to make sure you are prepared.
Aligning our claims data with weather data has helped us to assess the risk of storm claims in the future. Our research shows that maximum gust speeds closely correlate with storm claims – as gust speeds increase, the pay out increases in a reliably linear fashion.
For landlords this information highlights the importance of taking preventative measures, particularly to loose roof and fence panels, which account for well over half of all our storm damage claims.
Keep an eye on the forecast and if strong winds or extreme weather are predicted, contact your tenant to arrange a visit so that you can check that everything is in order and secure, paying particular attention to the roof and the garden.
This will reduce the risk of damage to your property as well as helping to safeguard your tenants and passers-by if a roof tile comes loose and crashes to the ground.
You do need to give 24 hours’ notice before visiting a tenanted property and this may not be possible if a storm is already on its way. In this scenario, your tenant may be happy for you to access the property, but if for whatever reason you’re unable to access the property yourself, you should still contact your tenant to alert them of the in coming storm and ask them to check that everything is in order.
If there is a weather warning, you or your tenant should make the following checks:
· Check loose roof tiles and guttering - well over half of Total Landlord's storm damage claims are due to roof damage
· Dismantle large garden furniture and store indoors or in a shed, and tidy away any other loose items such as plant pots or children’s toys
· Store lawnmowers and other electrical garden items away to prevent them from getting damaged
· Reinforce windows if a very severe storm is predicted, for example with plywood
· If there’s a flood warning affecting your property, provide your tenants with sandbags
· Make sure tenants close and securely fasten all windows and doors
It can be difficult to make emergency preparations for a rental property, particularly if you don’t live nearby.
Make sure you carry out preventative measures in advance, when your property is empty or by prior arrangement with your tenants, so that it is adequately protected in the event of a sudden storm.
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Not sure
Here are the key steps you should take:
Make sure that your fences are properly secured to reduce the chances of them being lifted up by heavy winds during a storm.
Rotten posts are a common reason for fence panels falling over in high winds, so it is important to check these and if you are replacing fencing make sure you invest in a strong weather resistant option.
Although gates and fences are usually covered by insurance if they are damaged due to vandalism or fire, storm damage is often specifically excluded.
Total Landlord, for example, will not cover damage to your fence if a storm wreaks havoc in your garden.
Outdoor furniture, plant pots, toys and other everyday objects can cause damage to your rental property and even injure people if they become airborne during a storm.
Make sure you put anything away or anchor it down before a storm hits.
A storm can cause dead tree branches to become loose, damaging your or someone else’s property, a car or potentially a person. Strong winds and heavy rain can even cause trees to come out of the ground, sometimes with serious consequences.
Make sure that you inspect your trees regularly –dying branches, exposed roots and peeling bark are all signs that a tree isn’t healthy. If there are branches that could come crashing down in a storm, remove them or get a professional to carry out the necessary work.
Inspect the roof from ground level, ideally both before the winter so that you can carry out any necessary repairs and after to assess whether there has been any damage.
We advise landlords to carry out property inspections every six months.
As part of this inspection, you should check the roof of the rental property to make sure that it is in good working order, with no loose tiles or damp dripping through.
Read our ultimate guide to inspecting your property for detailed guidance on what to include in a property inspection, and how to make sure you do it legally.
Minimise the chance of damage to the inside of your property by making sure that your gutters are clear of any debris.
This will prevent water from pooling and causing leaks and flooding.
While you are doing this take the opportunity to make sure that the gutters are securely attached to the property and there is no damage such as cracks.
Water damage is one of the biggest problems for landlords during adverse weather conditions, so check that your windows and doors are watertight and secure. High winds can also cause windows to break.
In extreme circumstances, for example if hurricane force winds are predicted, you can board windows up with plywood or perhaps consider installing shutters that can be more easily closed to protect windows.
