General Advice

• Remember your insurance company is there to help. The MORE TH>N Helplines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call us on 0800 300 699.
• Contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance companies are there to help and will know what to do if your home or business is damaged. We will give you immediate advice on emergency repairs and let you know what action we are going to take. We may also appoint a Personal Claims Advisor to guide you through the claim and manage this on your behalf.
• Prepare a 'Storm Pack' and make sure that everyone in your home or business knows where it is. The pack should include: torch, battery-operated radio (with spare batteries), first aid kit, warm clothes, blankets, bottles of water, a stock of food, boots and gloves and any essential medication. Keep it in a safe place. If you have one, remember to take your mobile phone upstairs too, and keep it charged.
• Keep a supply of batteries
• Be prepared to move furniture and valuable items upstairs or to a safe place, out of danger. Remember to include items like photos and valuable paperwork that have high sentimental value and will be difficult to replace.
• Have a map of your local area handy. If you decide to evacuate, bear in mind that some local roads may already be blocked and impassable. Bring pets indoors and think about where your pets can go if an event happened
• If the damage is extensive we may also arrange alternative accommodation for you and your family whilst repairs are carried out.
• If your home looses power, keep freezer doors shut!
• Take photographs of the damage if possible, this may help with the settlement of your claims as well as making lists of the items that have been damaged.
• Do not dispose of any items before speaking to us first.

Snow and freezing

• Leave your central heating running, not on a timer, but at a constant temperature (the coldest time is between 1am and 3am). If possible, leave it running in all rooms.
• If you know you’re going to be away, either leave the heating on,. If you’re unsure about the central heating, speak to a plumber. Remember to leave your insurance details with a friend or neighbour.
• Make sure your home is well insulated to avoid freezing pipes, especially in the loft!

Storm Damage

• Reduce the risk of storm damage to your home by adopting a regular maintenance routine to keep this in good condition. Check your chimney and the roof for any loose slates or tiles and carry out repairs to avoid the risk of further storm damage.
• Check trees near your property and ensure that any loose branches are removed to prevent them from damaging your home during a storm.
• Ensure loose items in the garden are tied down, such as trampolines and garden furniture.
• The following storm exclusions apply -
  
  Buildings Exclusions
  - The excess
  - Damage by frost
  - Damage to fences, hedges or gates
  
  Contents Exclusions
  - The excess
  

Flood Advice

• Listen out for flood warnings regularly on your local TV and radio stations. The Environment Agency has a 24 hour information service called Floodline available on 0845 988 1188 and also a website which provides useful advice and updates: www.environment-agency.gov.uk
• If your home is in a flood risk area, think about keeping important documents in a safe It may be useful to keep your insurance policy details, bank details and valuables in this safe place along with contact numbers you may need.
• Have sandbags -your local council may be able to provide these -and boards ready to block doors, etc.
• If you receive warnings of imminent flooding, be ready to switch off gas and electricity supplies but listen for advice on your local radio station. If water levels start to enter your home or business turn off the gas, and the electricity at the main fuse board.
• Do not touch any electrical items if the water has flooded any electrical systems.
• Leave windows and doors open to ventilate the property and aid the drying out process.

Once your claim is set up we will ensure we keep you informed of the details every step of the way. We will sort out the drying of the property, cleaning and disinfecting the property to get this back into a normal state. We will ensure that builders are appointed to manage the repairs to your home as soon as possible after the event has occurred and may appoint our suppliers to repair or replace contents items.

You may also wish to keep hold of any receipts during this time so that you can discuss this with your claims advisor for any up front costs that have occurred.