Insurers rejecting storm and flood claims as landlords face flood insurance challenges

A new report by consumer group Which? reveals insurers are rejecting weather-related claims such as storms and floods – and that’s making it harder for landlords to find this type of insurance.

The consumer group says home insurance policies are using potentially unfair definitions of storms and floods to reject claims made by customers who have had their property damaged.

Despite this affecting home insurance, it could also impact landlord insurance, as Property118’s insurance partner, The Home Insurer, warns that increasing flood risks are making it difficult for many landlords to secure flood insurance.

Flood damage claims denied

According to Go.Compare Home Insurance, storm damage made up 13.5% of all home insurance claims. Recent figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) also reveal that insurers paid out a record £585 million for weather-related damage in 2024.

However, published complaints from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) show some insurers have rejected claims from customers whose properties were damaged by torrential rain, arguing that wind speeds weren’t high enough for the event to qualify as a storm.

There are also cases where flood damage claims were denied because the damage was deemed to have occurred “too slowly”.

According to Which?, more than half (56%) of the home insurance policies they reviewed had no definition of a flood, and a third (32%) did not define what constitutes a storm.

The consumer group says this leaves many customers in the dark over whether they should expect to be covered if their property is damaged by one of the weather events.

Storms and floods can be disastrous

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “Storms and floods can be disastrous for homeowners, yet our research shows that claims are being rejected because insurers say a property flooded too slowly, or the wind wasn’t blowing hard enough during a torrential downpour, often leaving consumers baffled.

“Consumers rightly have common sense expectations of what should and shouldn’t be covered by storm and flood damage and they’re backed up on this by industry guidance.”

The consumer group is also urging the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to investigate whether all firms’ storm and flood definitions comply with the Consumer Duty as part of its ongoing claims-handling review and take enforcement action.

Storm damage can be interpretational

Jason McClean, director of The Home Insurer, explains to Property118, storm damage can be interpretational and urges homeowners and landlords to check the small print in their insurance documents.

He said: “If you make a claim for storm damage on a certain date, loss adjustors will check local weather stations for the day. If there was no storm, then there is unlikely to be cover. We have had this before and it is insurers doing their due diligence.

“Tiles flew off the roof on a sunny, calm day? Not likely. What a storm is can be different from insurer to insurer; check the small print, some of the winds needed are very high indeed, maybe only once a year speeds.

“In all cases, you need to read the policy terms carefully to understand what is being covered. Sometimes having accidental damage cover in place can assist when storm damage is not detected, so maybe it is worth adding that as standard.”

Landlord trying to get flood

For landlords, securing flood insurance can be challenging in flood-prone zones.

Jason explains: “Flood and storm damage are normally covered by a good landlord insurance policy. In some cases, particularly in flood areas or where a flood has occurred previously, the flood peril may be excluded or limited.

“We have specialist insurers that can potentially offer flood cover in these cases, but make no mistake, a landlord trying to get flood insurance for a property in a flood area is going to find it tough.”

Jason adds The Home Insurer can help landlords find flood insurance.

“It is worth talking to us as we may be able to help, this is the sort of cover you would rarely find on price comparison sites and will be more expensive than the cheapest policies going.

“Do give us a call and we will do our best to help and demystify, along with providing a competitive quote that meets your needs.”

The most efficient way to get a personal quote with the best price and cover possible is to call the team on 01832 770965 so we can focus on your enquiry when you are ready and sitting down with your portfolio details to hand.

Alternatively, you can use the form below to request one of our team to give you a call back.

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