Does home insurance cover storm damage as storms hit the UK

Amber and red warnings were in force at the height of the storm and a yellow alert warning of gusts of up to 80mph is in force until midday on Monday.

But if your home is damaged during the storm, are you protected?

Does home insurance cover wind damage?

Buildings and contents insurance policies often cover against storm damage.

Following a storm, your policy should cover any significant damage that your house suffers as a result of high winds from the storm.

However, policies often exclude anything outdoors, such as garden furniture, garden sheds, fences, gates or hedges, so specific cover would need to be found for them.

Matthew Harwood, Home & Lifestyle insurance expert at Confused.com, said: "Having home insurance in place helps protect your building and contents from potential storm damage, particularly if you live in an area at high risk of flooding.

"It's also important to buy home insurance if your home has features like a thatched roof, timber frames or is made of wattle and daub. These kinds of homes are typically made from old-fashioned construction methods, which makes them more likely to suffer storm damage.

"It's also worth checking how much home insurance cover you need to avoid missing key features that help cover your home from storm damage."

Does home insurance cover fences?

With high winds still prevalent across much of the UK, many garden fences will be looking a little worse for wear, and may even have blown away.

However, fences aren’t normally covered for storm damage under standard home insurance policies, but it would still be worth checking your specific insurance policy to make sure.

As wear and tear is rarely covered by most insurers, any fences that were already old and unstable prior to a storm will likely not be covered by your police.

You may end up having to prove to your insurer that your fence was well-maintained prior to the high winds which caused the damage.