Whether you’re a landlord renting out property or a tenant living in a rented home, none of us are exempt from extreme weather.
Storms can cause a lot of damage to our homes, but when a rental property is affected, who’s responsible for repairs and costs?
Is the landlord responsible for any storm damage?
In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to take care of their rental properties’ storm damage repairs.
Check your tenancy agreement before taking on a tenant to ensure it has clear terms about who's responsibility is what.
Is the tenant responsible for any storm damage?
A tenant’s main responsibility is to report any storm damage as soon as they become aware of it. Make sure your tenants know that they should report any storm damage they notice to you or the letting agency as soon as possible.
The sooner your tenant reports a problem, the sooner you can get to fixing it, and reducing any potential damage during a storm.
Does my landlord insurance cover storm damage to my rental properties?
This depends on your policy. It’s always best to check your policy booklet before making a claim to make sure you’re covered and to understand your excesses.
If you’re the leaseholder of the property, it’s more than likely the building itself and any damage caused to it is insured and managed by the freeholder or a company on their behalf - make sure you, your tenant, or letting agency notify them of any damage or issues that arise as soon as possible.
Additionally, if you have Landlord Emergency cover added to your policy, you may be able to claim for storm-related emergencies. These include incidents like roof tiles being blown off in a storm causing water to enter the property.
Our Landlord Emergency cover offers a 24/7 helpline and can provide up to £500 per claim towards a temporary repair to emergency damage to your rental property. You must report your emergency within 48 hours of discovery, and permanent repairs aren’t covered.
Landlord Emergency Cover is included in our Platinum Landlord insurance and is available as an add-on for Gold and Admiral-level Landlord insurance. If you want to add this to your policy, please contact us or head to MyAccount.
What is considered a storm by my insurer?
Check your policy booklet if you’re not sure what your insurer considers to be a storm.
We define a storm as having one of the following:
- winds with gusts of at least 55mph
- heavy rainfall at a rate of at least 25mm per hour
- snow to a depth of at least 30cm in 24 hours
- hail that causes damage to hard surfaces or breaks glass
Damage or wear and tear caused by normal weather isn’t covered by landlord insurance.
How to reduce storm damage as a landlord
If you rent properties in an area that typically gets a lot of storms, or a large storm is forecast, there are a few things you can do to reduce damage to your rental properties:
- regularly inspect your roof for cracked or slipped roof tiles
- check for loose pointing and cracked rendering on brickwork or chimneys
- regularly clean the gutters to prevent blockages
- insulate pipes to prevent cracking
- make sure all your windows are water-tight
- trim trees regularly to prevent falling branches
- provide sandbags for doorways to steer clear of flooding
How to make a landlord insurance claim
If you have Landlord Insurance and want to make a claim, you can either head to our make a claim page or contact us.
If you have Landlord Emergency cover, you can call our emergency helpline on 0333 234 9984 if your property suffers damage from a storm and needs urgent attention.
If you think you have a gas leak, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
It’s always best to check your policy documents before making a claim to make sure you’re covered.
