STORMY weather has hit the country including 100mph winds and lashing rain.Some areas have been left without power and damage caused by storms Eunice and Dudley have hit many households.
1Storms Eunice and Dudley have hit the UK hardCredit: Getty
With bad weather continuing through the day more could be affected – but what are your rights?
Claim for power outages
When it comes to power outages you could be entitled to compensation worth as much as £700.
Thousands of homes hit by Storm Arwen last year were able to claim £140 for every day they were without power, if they’ve been left in the dark for more than six days.
Ofgem hiked the amount that households could claim in compensation if they were affected by that specific outage.
The £140 a day is above what customers would normally be able to claim.
The usual rules if a power outage from a storm or other poor weather conditions has affected households offers £70 if you are without power.
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You get it for the first 24 hours or 48 hours, depending on the severity of the weather.
And you can get £70 for each additional 12-hour period after that, up to £700.
To claim compensation you’ll have to speak directly with your area electricity distributor.
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That’s not your energy provider but instead it’s a regional contact based on where you live.
You can find out who your distributor is on the National Grid’s website.
You must claim power cut compensation within 30 days of the outage though.
Claim for storm damage
You may also be able to claim on your home insurance for storm damage, but that will depend on the cover you have, and the finer detail in the terms and conditions.
Both building and contents insurance usually cover against storm damage, according to confused.com, so you’re likely to be able to make a claim if the bad weather has had a negative impact on your home.
The Financial Ombudsman defines a storm as something that “generally involves violent winds, usually accompanied by rain, hail or snow”.
But many insurers have their own standards that define “bad weather”, which you agree to when you take out the policy.
In lesser weather, they may argue against claims citing things like wind speeds.
Many set their own thresholds and vary depending on the policy but are usually between 47mph and 55mph.
But considering storm Eunice is bringing winds of 100mph and more, your insurer is unlikely to argue against your case.
What you can claim for
According to the comparison site, things that you are likely to be able to make a claim for include:
Roof tiles that have blown off in the winds,
Damage to the house caused by lightning,
Bricks and mortar broken by fallen trees and debris,
Water damage caused by heavy rainfall.
You’re not likely to be able to get a payout for things such as garden fences, sheds, gates and hedges unless your policy specifically says it will.
Many policies often exclude damage made to anything outside the hou …
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