Storm damage claims, and the three questions that decide them

The UK may see its first named storm of the season by Friday. BBC Weather says a deep area of low pressure could bring gales or severe gales, most likely across southern England and Wales (BBC Weather). As at this morning, no warning has been issued.

Storm claims are getting more expensive. The ABI reports that storm damage to homes cost insurers £244 million in 2025, up 32 per cent on the year before, and that the average storm payout rose by £750 to £2,450 (ABI).

Most home policies cover storm damage. The arguments are about cause.

When a declined storm claim reaches the Financial Ombudsman Service, it asks three questions (Financial Ombudsman Service). Was there a storm around the date of the damage? Is the damage consistent with what storm damage generally looks like? Were storm conditions the main cause, or would it have happened anyway?

Here is the detail worth sitting with. The Ombudsman is unlikely to uphold a complaint where a roof was already in poor condition and the storm simply showed up the problem. But poor condition does not automatically mean the storm was not the cause, and where an insurer relies on a wear and tear exclusion, it is for the insurer to show that it applies.

That is why the first few days matter. Keep off the roof. Photograph the damage before anything is moved, and the wider view of the house too, because the rest of the roof in good order helps answer the third question. Note the date, the time and what you saw and heard. Make only emergency repairs, and keep every receipt.

If the claim is declined, ask for the reason in writing, and for any report it relied on. After the insurer’s final response, or eight weeks without one, you can take the complaint to the Ombudsman free of charge. It upheld 33 per cent of buildings insurance complaints between April and June 2026 (Which?).

The household that photographs the whole roof is giving the claim handler what they need to say yes.