Poor weather could lead to home insurance claims

As more bad weather hits the country, Halifax has issued a number of guidelines to reduce the chances of people having to claim on their house insurance .

Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager for Halifax Home Insurance, said: With the average claim for storm damage costing around £1,000, it is advisable for homeowners to take preventative steps to reduce the risk of damage to their homes, and also ensure they have adequate home insurance cover in place.

Steps people could take to decrease the chance of having to claim on their car insurance include: securing objects that could be blown around in a high wind, cutting back low-hanging branches and clearing gutters of leaves to stop them overflowing.

It is also vital to ensure water pipes are properly lagged as a burst pipe could lead to a very large home insurance claim .

A recent survey by Nationwide found that one in four people do not know what is included in their home insurance policy .