Does Home Insurance Cover Wind and Gale Damage?

Most standard home insurance covers damage caused by storms and flooding, and so do most commercial business policies and comprehensive motor insurance¹. That is the short answer to the question. The longer answer is that cover is not automatic for everything a gale touches: fences damaged by storms or flooding are not included as standard in most policies, and you need to know what your own policy says before the wind arrives, not after².

A storm can bring significant damage to buildings and infrastructure, fallen trees, coastal flooding, power cuts and disruption to the transport network³. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings, so the household is the front line⁴. The practical response has three parts: check your cover and keep your policy details to hand, stay indoors while the storm is in progress, and once it has passed, make safe, check on neighbours and contact your insurer.

Most standard home insurance covers storm damage

The starting point is reassuring. Damage caused by storms and flooding is covered by most standard home insurance and commercial business policies, and by comprehensive motor insurance¹. If a gale takes tiles off your roof or a tree through a window, the likelihood is that your policy responds. But "most" is doing real work in that sentence, and the detail of your own policy is what decides a claim.

Two exclusions are worth knowing before you need them. Fences damaged by flooding or storms are not included as standard in most policies, so a blown-down garden fence is usually your own cost². And most home insurance does not cover the environmental investigation and clean-up costs you could face if your own land, or the surface or groundwater within it, is polluted⁷. That second point matters if you heat your home with oil: most home insurance will cover the cost of replacing lost oil and any damage caused to the fabric of your home following an oil spill from a domestic liquid fuel heating system, but not the wider clean-up⁷.

If you rent, the split is different. If you own your own home, you should have both buildings and contents insurance; if you live in public or private rented housing, you should have contents insurance, and the landlord should have buildings insurance⁸. If you own a leasehold property, check whether the freeholder's insurance covers repair costs, and remember that buildings insurance should include flood risks⁹.

What to do during a storm to stay safe

The core instruction is simple and repeated across official guidance: stay indoors as much as possible⁶. Storms can often be accompanied by heavy rainfall and have the potential to cause widespread disruption and even danger to life in severe conditions³. The safest place to be is inside, away from windows where practical, with the storm allowed to pass.

Stay informed as well. Look at the weather forecast and check the Met Office for weather warnings and details of risk in your area³. Warnings are not just about wind speed: impacts from weather warnings tend to include damage to property, travel delays and cancellations, loss of water supplies, power cuts and, in the most severe cases, a danger to life¹². Our guide to Met Office weather warnings explains what each colour means for a household.

Travel is best avoided. Avoid non-essential travel, and if you must travel, allow extra time³. Never walk or drive through flood water³. If you do drive through water, always check your brakes afterwards¹³. Storms can also bring lightning, and lightning most often strikes people who work outside or do outdoor activities, so if you are outdoors when a storm arrives, get inside¹⁴.

Do not repair damage while the storm is in progress

Do not go outside to repair damage while the storm is in progress⁵. The Met Office gives the same instruction for the duration of the storm¹⁵, and it is repeated in the advice for households during a storm⁶. It is the clearest instruction in the whole of storm safety, and it exists because the instinct to save a fence or a shed is strong and the danger is not obvious until something falls.

The second instruction is about cables. Be careful not to touch any electrical or telephone cables that have blown down or are still hanging, and report them to the emergency services or utility supplier³. Do not touch any electrical or telephone cables that have been blown down or are still hanging¹⁷. Power companies may be affected by fallen trees in storms knocking out overhead cables, or by high voltage underground cable faults, so a cable on the ground may still be live even if the lights are out¹⁸.

If you have a generator, it should not be run indoors or in a garage, and it should never be connected to your home's wiring by anyone other than a qualified electrician. Our backup power guide covers the safe options, and the power cuts guide explains what to expect when supplies fail.

After the storm: making safe and checking on others

Once the wind drops, the job changes from sheltering to checking. Check for damage and make sure any such damage is secured, when it is safe to do so⁶. That means looking at roofs, chimneys, gutters, fences and trees from the ground, and only going up or out to secure something once you are sure the worst has passed.

Then look outward. Make sure that any neighbours or relatives who might need additional support are safe and help them make arrangements for any repairs⁵. Older people, disabled people and anyone living alone may need practical help, and a short check-in can make a real difference. If you are making a flood plan, include whether you could offer to help vulnerable friends or neighbours¹⁹.

For the claim itself, contact your insurer as soon as possible²⁰. If your home and belongings have been damaged, get in touch with your insurer, and if you live in a rented home, contact your landlord or property owner²¹. Check whether your insurance covers repair costs, replacement of damaged belongings, temporary accommodation and legal cover or advice⁹. Keep any damaged items and take photographs before you throw anything away, and do not start permanent repairs until your insurer has agreed.

Where storms do the most damage

Storm damage is not spread evenly. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings, which is why household insurance is the policy that matters most⁴. Exposed areas such as coastal communities are more at risk, particularly when strong winds off the Irish Sea coincide with high tides³. Storms can also lead to severe inland flooding from rain, or along coasts from storm surges overtopping flood defences⁵.

The coast deserves particular care. Storms can change the landscape of some beaches, changing or damaging access points, or even creating new areas for rip currents²². If you get in trouble at the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard¹⁵. Our guide to staying safe on the coast in gales and high waves sets out how to read the sea and when to stay away.

Flooding is the other half of the storm risk, and the insurance question is the same. Check your household building or contents insurance covers flooding²³. If your insurance does not cover flooding, Flood Re may be able to help²⁴. Flood Re works by helping insurers to help householders at risk of flooding²⁵. If you are preparing for a flood, make sure your insurance provides cover against flood damage to property²⁶. It is essential that you ensure that your property's insurance covers damage from flooding²⁷.

Where to get help

Help comes from several directions at once after a storm. Your insurer is the first call for damage to your home and belongings²⁰. Your landlord or property owner is the first call if you rent²¹. The emergency services are for danger to life: only call for immediate help if there is risk to life during a storm²⁸. For fallen power or phone cables, report them to the emergency services or utility supplier³. For trouble at the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard¹⁵.

For the wider picture, our storms, snow and ice guide covers the season as a whole, and preparing your home and garden for high winds sets out what to secure before the next gale. If you have older or disabled neighbours, the extra help in an emergency guide explains the support that exists, and community resilience covers how neighbours can organise together.