Advice please. Storm damage

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

We as a lot of other people had bad wind and heavy rain yesterday.
We live in an end terrace victorian house,which we moved into just under six months ago.
When I came in yesterday afternoon I noticed some broken roof slates in the front garden and when I went upstairs there water dripping through the ceiling, there was also a few more broken slates in the back yard.
My huband had a look in the loft and the roof slates had either blown off completely or moved from their original position.
I don't have a problem getting a builder,he is coming tomorrow,however I need some advice.I don't know wether to put a claim in with the insurance company,I have never needed to before and feel a bit daunted by it.The insurance company is the same person who we have our mortgage from and they also did the survey when we bought the property six months ago.Nothing was mentioned in the survey about the roof being a problem or needing reapairs being done to it.
When I rang the helpline yesterday for advice,( this was not to put in a claim just to ask advice) they asked me how old the house was and then said that and I quote "well what can you expect it is old and we would take that into consideration before allowing you to claim.Also we will have experts look at wether there was sufficient wind to constitute a storm," they made me feel as if I was a crimiinal just enquiring.They are happy to take my insurance premiums each month though
I also have a friend with the same insurance company and she says she was treated the same, when she had the same problem and her house is only half the age of mine.
What I need to know is how do I go about making a full insurance claim,what to expect and is it worth it in the long run.Sorry if this post is a little confusing Im just in a bit of a state right now.Thanks.

Nile

Hello MRSTITTLEMOUSE

There are experts in the 'Insurance & Life Assurance' board who can help you, so I'll move your thread across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"][EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com."]!!!!!![/email][/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

mattymoo

What a terrible response you've had.
I work as a surveyor for a commercial insurer and can tell you now that age of the roof has little to do with the way it will hold up in a storm. As an example, the roof of a brand new hotel blew off in Haverhill earlier this month, 1 week after the hotel opened.

Factors you would consider when looking at a roof would be exposure to high winds - e.g. on a cliff top or flat exposed lands. The level of maintenance would also be looked at however you have only had the house 6 months and the surveyor said nothing about its condition.

They were correct when they said they would consult the met office records. Standard practice since there is a fairly strict definition of storm (that I cannot now remember). IIRC heavy rain is not a storm but high winds above a certain speed are. Certainly some of the winds we have experienced over the last 2-3 days will be classed as a storm.

Submit the claim since you have nothing to lose. Buiding insurance allied to a mortgage does not have any form of no-claims discount. If you speak to someone with a similar attitude again, simply tell them you do not like their attitude and ask to speak to their supervisor.

Also be aware that many builders will see the high winds (storms?) as an opportunity to inflate their costs. Insurers may wish to see 2 estimates or appoint their own contractor.

EDIT - found a link to a news story relating to the hotel roof loss.
http://www.haverhill-uk.com/news/storms-damage-new-hotel-1861.htm