What To Do In The First 48 Hours After Storm Damage
A practical checklist for homeowners and farmers assessing damage after severe weather.
Make the property safe first
Nothing in this article matters more than that. Stay away from loose slates, leaning trees and anything near a fallen power line, and phone ESB Networks on 1800 372 999 rather than approaching it yourself. If the roof has been opened up and water is entering, switch off the electricity at the board until an electrician has looked at it.
Photograph everything before you touch it
This is the single most valuable thing you can do for your own claim. Take wide shots that show the whole elevation of the building, then close shots of each damaged area, then photographs of damaged contents where they fell. Include something for scale. Insurers and their loss adjusters are assessing damage they did not see happen, and photographs taken before any clean-up are far harder to argue with than a description given weeks later.
Carry out emergency repairs, but only emergency ones
Your policy requires you to prevent further loss, so tarping an open roof, boarding a broken window or lifting soaked carpet off a timber floor is expected of you and is normally recoverable. Permanent repairs are a different matter. If you replace the roof before anyone has inspected it, you have removed the evidence the claim rests on. Keep every receipt for the emergency work.
Do not throw anything out
Damaged contents are the proof of a contents claim. Move them to a garage or shed if they are causing a hazard, but photograph them first and hold on to them until you are told in writing that they can be disposed of. People routinely skip ruined furniture in the first tidy-up and then find they cannot substantiate that part of the claim.
Report the claim promptly
Policies contain notification conditions, and late notification gives an insurer an argument it would not otherwise have. Report the loss within a few days even if you do not yet know the extent of it. You are not committing to a figure by notifying.
Get advice before you agree a figure
Storm claims are where under-settlement is most common, because the visible damage is often only part of the story. Water that entered through a lifted roof travels through ceilings, insulation and wiring, and the cost of putting that right frequently emerges after the initial inspection. We carry out our own assessment, prepare the claim in full and negotiate the settlement with your insurer. The initial consultation costs nothing.
Dealing with a claim right now?
The first consultation is free and there is no obligation. Call 085 268 7871 or send us the details of your claim.
Call 085 268 7871