Feeling the impact of UK storms

Last Updated on January 29, 2016 by admin

On the 8^th September 2015, the Met Office announced they would begin naming storms expected to affect the UK and Ireland. Few of us could have quite expected the pace at which we would run through the alphabet; the nation braced itself for Abigail on 10^th November, and before the end of the year we were already feeling the full force of Storm Frank! As I write this Storm Gertrude is battering our shores.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has now revealed the full scale of the impact devastating floods caused by Storm Desmond, Eva and Frank have had on the UK:

• 3,000: The number of families currently in alternative accommodation whilst their homes are repaired.

• £50,000: The average expected pay out for each domestic flood claim.

• £24,000,000: The amount of emergency payments already made to domestic customers (£9m) and businesses (£15m) to help them recover from flooding.

• £1.3bn: The estimated figure expected to be paid out by insurance companies to those affected by flooding damage.

How does this compare to the storms of 2013/14?

For many the tidal flooding and storm damage experienced two winters ago will still be fresh in the memory. The storms, which hit the South West of the country particularly hard, led to an estimated £6.7m in claims per day.

The projected damage of these recent storms is already expected to hit £1.3bn, a staggering £300m more than in 2014, with the average cost of flood damage per household going up from £31,000 to £50,000.

Here’s an interesting infographic on the damage caused in 2014 – Flooding 2013/14 – The Numbers

Why you need specialist insurance

If you’re a holiday homeowner and have been affected by the storms or flooding it’s important that your insurance policy is there to support you and your unique set of circumstances.

The impact of storms and flooding will be felt by those affected for many weeks and months after the television cameras have packed up and gone home.

For holiday homeowners’ the consequences can be potentially catastrophic; what happens to those bookings you’ve already gained? Will you be back up and running by Easter, or even the start of the summer season? When will you be able to put an exact date on when you’ll be back in business and be able to accept bookings?

Loss of rental income

Our Loss of Income cover means you’ll not need to fit the bill for the potential loss of bookings or cancellations you have to make while restoring your holiday home to its former glory.

We’ll even be able to look at the bookings taken for a similar period in previous years in order to make sure you get the right amount of cover for the losses you’re incurring.

We also appreciate that things can’t be achieved overnight; for that reason our own indemnity extends to two years, which is plenty of time to get you back on your feet.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

You may also find the following posts of interest:

• Preparing your holiday home for snow
• Inspecting your holiday home following stormy weather
• How being proactive can limit damage to your holiday home during extreme weather
• Ten steps to ensure your holiday home remains open for business
• Limiting the risks of slips and trips in your holiday home
• Tips to avoid burst pipes for UK holiday home owners