Procedure for storm/burst/frost damage repairs
Under the insurance policy we have with Zurich Insurance we are covered for the following types of claims for all our council houses.
FireNo Excess
Storm Damage£50 excess per property claim
Burst Damage£50 excess per property claim
Frost Damage£50 excess per property claim
Each of the above have different requirements when submitting a claim to the insurance company. The procedure for Fire damage is well established and therefore I will not go into any details.
Storm Damage
When taking a repair request and you suspect that the damage is due to high winds. You will need to contact Zurich Municipal in the first instance to see if they will except the weather conditions in the Bury Area are sufficient to make a claim
If the claim is accepted by Zurich
When recording repairs which are related to high winds we need in the body of text the following information:-
Each job need to say “Storm damage”
It needs the date of the storm
It then needs the full description of the work required
Example of the text required to submit a claim to Zurich Municipal
“Storm damage 03.02.2010 Remove and refit roof tiles in gutters”
“Storm damage 03.02.2010 Replace roof tiles to front elevation blown off in storm.
Generally storm damage repairs are reported straight away by tenants. On the odd occasion we will get repair request days after the storm. These occasions normally arise when an operative has gone out to one job and the next door neighbour makes the assumption that they will repair their roof at the same time. If this happens it is important to ensure you enter a separate job for the neighbours job and that the text again says it’s a storm damage repair and the date of the storm is recorded otherwise Zurich might not pay out.
If a tree is blown and damages the property then we can claim. (see Exemptions re removal of tree)
I
Exemptions
The policy does not allow for damage to fencing.
Removal of blown over trees in the gardens of tenanted properties.
If the property has been empty for more than 30 days
Burst Damage
To make a claim for burst damage . It is important to understand that the repair to fix the burst is NOT claimable this is classed as a maintenance issue and fair wear and tear
What we can claim for are any subsequent damage to the property due to the results of water damage examples below:-
Replacement of plaster boarding and decoration of ceilings after burst
Replacement of kitchen units due to becoming warped after ingress of water
Re plastering of walls due to burst damage.
When recording repairs which are related to Burst damage we need in the body of text the following information:-
Each job need to say “Burst damage”
It needs the date of when the burst occurred
It then needs the full description of the work required
Frost Damage
This type of claim is very similar to burst damage with the exception that the repair can also be claimed for as well as any damage that the burst might cause to the property.
When recording repairs which are related to Frost damage we need in the body of text the following information:-
Each job need to say “Frost damage”
It needs the date/dates when the severe weather condition occurred
It then needs the full description of the work required