What should you do if your rental property is hit by a storm?
Assess and document the damages, contact your insurance, and initiate necessary repairs for a swift recovery
If your property suffers storm damage despite all your preparation, stay in close contact with your tenants - their safety is the priority.
It’s always best to contact your insurer as soon as you can after a storm has caused damage to your property, to avoid delaying your claim.
Take time and date stamped photographs of the damage to show your insurance provider and don’t carry out any repair work until you have spoken to your insurer, as they may get a specialist to inspect your home to assess the damage.
If there is extensive damage - for example the property has been flooded - the gas and electricity must be turned off.
If a fault that you are found to have known about but not fixed has caused the damage, then you may be obliged to pay for alternative accommodation yourself.
But if there has been a natural disaster and the property is uninhabitable, the onus is on the local council to provide alternative accommodation.
Fortunately, there is much that you can do as a landlord, to protect your rental property against storms:
· Keeping an eye on the weather
· Advance preparations and maintenance
· Communication with tenants
· Regular inspections
· Having comprehensive landlord insurance
Prevention is always better than cure and as a landlord it is your responsibility to make sure your property is safe and secure.
With severe weather on the increase, you need specialist landlord insurance to provide cover in case your buy to let property is damaged.
Remember, standard home insurance isn’t designed for rental properties. Total Landlord Insurance was created to meet the specific needs of landlords and offers peace of mind should the worst happen.
If you have any questions about storm claims or would like to discuss landlord insurance with one of our experts, please contact the Total Landlord team on0800 63 43 880 or email enquiries@totallandlordinsurance.co.uk
